How I fell in love with your silence
by 0MoonPrincess0
Summary: Sakura is a kind girl, from whom life has taken away something very important right after she was born. One day she gets sucked into a book with her sister and friend, but what happens when her journey instead takes her to a casted-out bandit? Genrou x OC
1. And so it begins

Hi, everyone! I'm back with another story - this one mine, though.

I've already stated on my profile how much I like Fushigi Yuugi and Tasuki, so I decided to give it a shot. I've actually been working in this for a long time now, but it's the first time I'm posting it online.

Now, concerning my fanfic "I see stars in your eyes"... I know it's going a bit slowly, but believe me when I say that my paper draft is almost complete. What's delaying me more than I thought it would is rearranging and re-typing it on my computer. But I promise I will try to update it more often - as long as I get a little more feedback (I'm always asking that, aren't I? xD)

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><p><span>Disclaimer:<span> I don't own Fushigi Yuugi, nor any of its characters. They are all Yu Watase property.

Oh and, just so you know, the story doesn't follow the original episodes closely. Many things might change simply because I wanted or because of Sakura. I will also refer to Tasuki as Genrou, because I like it better and because my OC meets him before he is acknowledged as a Suzaku Seven.

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><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: How I fell in love with your silence<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"A Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step."_

- Laozi, the Chinese philosopher.

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**Chapter 1:**

"Ne, Yui-chan... Do we really have to go to the National Library today?" Miaka asked, feeling bored already.

"Of course! Don't you two wanna pass Math?" Yui replied. _They're so hopeless_, she thought with a smile.

"We do, we do... but it's such a nice day outside... it just seems like a waste to spend it all inside. Don't you agree with me, Sakura?"

Her sister nodded cheerfully, but both girls knew she wasn't paying attention. Sakura had always had her head up in the clouds. That might've been the reason why she was on the verge of failing Math.

Weirdly enough, though, she was the smartest one.

Sakura and Miaka were identical twins, although no one who'd look at them would believe it. They would maybe think they were related, but definitely not twins. Because, even though they both shared the same red hair (quite unusual for Japanese girls), while Sakura had big and sort of roundly lavender eyes, Miaka's were of a bright dark-green. Also, Sakura, who's the youngest, was almost a head shorter than Miaka and more fragile-like… and she couldn't speak.

Their mother had visited every doctor in Japan, but no one seemed to know the exact reason as to why Sakura had no voice. They sent her to do all kinds of exams – Sakura had had tubes shoved down her throat so many times that she couldn't count them with her fingers –, yet they all came in with nothing.

Eventually, her mother gave up. Sakura had never been so thankful in her entire life; she truly hated hospitals.

It didn't matter for her family that she wasn't able to speak… for the most part at least. Her mother was an exception. She never bothered to hide her disappointment. She had dreamed of a daughter who would pursue Politics and become a diplomat, and, seeing as Miaka wasn't exactly heading in that direction, she had laid all of her hopes over Sakura. But it was impossible due to her disability, and, blinded by her unaccomplished desire, she failed to see what a wonderful person Sakura had become – someone who would never look away if there was anyone suffering.

To make up for her mother's distance, Sakura had Miaka and Keisuke. Her sister might've been clumsy, loud and pretty much the complete opposite of herself, but they were strongly linked and Miaka was always there to cheer her up. It was part of being twins. And Keisuke was like her best friend, because there was nothing she'd hide from him.

They meant the world for Sakura.

"Wow, it is true! The National Library looks very... national," Miaka joked clearly unimpressed. Yui, who was already up the front steps, ignored her and went inside the enormous building. "Oi! That was a joke, say something!"

Sakura tugged on her sleeve and gestured with her hands. Her family members – and Yui – had all made sure to learn sign language to communicate with her to some extent.

_"I thought it was funny, onee-chan."_

Miaka smiled. "Arigatou, imotto-chan." She took her hand and hurried Sakura up the stairs. "Come on; let's catch Yui-chan."

They went into the National Library. It was just like they thought it would be, with tall bookcases, computers and studying booths. It was also rather empty that day, just a couple people sitting in a booth, hunched over some books and other few working on the computers.

Still, there was no sign of Yui.

_"I think we lost her,"_ Sakura told Miaka.

"Well, I suppose we can find her on our own, right?" Miaka heaved a sigh, taking a look around. To her right she spotted a vending machine. "Oh, look Sakura! Want one? I got enough for both of us."

Sakura thought for a second before nodding.

They walked to the vending machine and Miaka took out the money. Being clumsy as she was, the coin slipped from her hand, tinkling when it collided with the hardness of the floor. They both crouched down to get it.

There was a sudden strange noise behind them. It sounded like a whistle from a bird. When they stood up, Sakura caught the glimpse of a feather glowing red, leading up the stairs to the second floor.

_"Did you see that?"_ She asked, but Miaka ignored her. She started up the stairs, as if in a haze. At the top was a door with a sign reading _'Restricted Section'_. Miaka opened the door and walked in anyway. They heard a rustle of feathers and stopped, looking around to find the source of the sound.

"What are you doing in here, guys?" Yui's voice, coming from the doorway, startled them.

Sakura jumped and gestured franticly. _"A bird! We saw a bird!"_

"A bird?" Yui laughed, clearly not buying it.

"It's true! It flew up here! We heard its wings flapping," Miaka said.

A book tumbled down a shelf with a thud. The girls kneeled down and picked it up. It looked old and dusty, and it was obvious it hadn't been read in a long time. The front cover was engraved with Chinese characters, but neither Sakura nor Miaka could understand them.

"Shijin Tenchisho," Yui read out loud. "The Universe of the Four Gods?"

_"What is it?"_

"Well, it says it's an ancient Chinese tale..." Yui's brows furrowed as she tried to decipher the story. "Hum… '_And so, the girl of the legend opened the door to the other world'..._"

When Yui flipped the intro, the next page had the drawing of a beautiful looking bird. Miaka gasped. "That's the one! The bird I saw earlier!"

"_'This is the story of a girl who gathered the eight Warriors of Suzaku and accomplished the power to fulfill all of her wishes. The story itself is a spell and those who read it win the power of the girl to have their own wishes come true. This happens because when the first page is turned over, the story comes to life and it begins'_." Yui stopped and looked up to her friends, confused. "What does that mean?"

"If Yui-chan doesn't understand, how can we?" Miaka replied just as puzzled, Sakura nodding in agreement.

Then, a red light made its way out of the book and the same whistle as before echoed through the walls of the restricted room. The light engulfed all three girls, swallowing them into the book itself.

Miaka, Sakura and Yui held their hands tightly as they traveled downwards a seemingly endless darkness. But a fantastic fire bird took a firm grip on Sakura's arm and yanked her away from the other two. Miaka screamed for her sister, but she disappeared with the bird through a hole it had opened in the darkness.

Soon she and Yui too were gone.

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><p>In the middle of a forest, a young man with bright green eyes stormed through the trees in a hurry to see his friend. It was night already and the pathway was half-illuminated only by the full moon, its light casting a silvery glow over the grass that his feet pounded on quietly.<p>

"Dammit! Why that baka lives so far 'way from the village?" Koji mused out loud to no one in particular. As he headed forward, his arms lazily crossed behind his head, something caught his eye: a dark silhouette laying limp on the ground, not too far from him. "What the hell..."

Koji approached it carefully, thinking it might've been a trap. When he got close enough, he realized that the '_it'_ was actually a girl – a breathtakingly beautiful girl, who seemed to be out cold. She was dressed in a strange set of clothing, consisting in a really short brown skirt and jacket, with a little bow laced around her neck.

_Maybe I should just leave 'er here..._, he considered. One look at her, though, and he knew he couldn't. He swept her up in his arms, impressed by how light she actually was, and resumed his way; this time at quicker pace. He had to get to Genrou's house fast. If any of his comrade bandits saw her they would want to take her to their leader – their cruel and drunk leader.

The small shack came into view after climbing up the stairs. It had a reclined roof and a large front door. He knocked. "Konbawa. 'Who is it?' It's Genrou's best friend, Koji, who came t' see 'im. 'Welcome, please come in.' Arigato," Koji said in his odd habit of announcing and answering the door himself.

When he opened the door, Koji was welcomed by a smiling Genrou, sitting on top of the table with his legs casually crossed. His smile, however, was quick to die once he noticed the knocked out girl in his arms.

"What the hell's that?" He asked irritated.

Koji rolled his eyes. "What d'ya think it is? A girl, you baka."

"Yeah, well... go put 'er right back where ya found 'er."

"Don't be crazy, Genrou. Can't ya see she's hurt? Just let 'er stay here 'till she gets back on 'er feet." Koji made his way to the bed, setting the girl down on top of it.

Genrou stepped a little closer to take a better look at her. At first he was taken aback; she was sort of beautiful, with long flowing red curls. Her clothes, however, were what really got his attention. He had never seen anything like it.

"Why's she dressed like that?" He questioned puzzled. "She from a foreign country or somethin'?"

"If she is, I don't know which one. Those sorts o' clothes aren't from any place I ever been t'," Koji answered. "I just found 'er like that in the forest, passed out n' everything..."

Genrou shoke his head, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Ya shouldn't 'ave brought 'er here. I hate women! They bring nothin' but trouble!"

"Then where wouldya have me take 'er instead, huh? Oh I know, maybe I should take 'er to the hideout fer that pathetic excuse o' leader to rape her. Ain't that a better idea!" Koji argued back sarcastically.

"Ugh, a'ight!" Genrou sighed. "Why I get the feelin' this' gonna bring me nothin' more than I bargained fer?"

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><p><em>It's cold... Why am I so cold? <em>

_Am I dead? _

_How can I be dead when I was only in the library reading a book with onee-chan and Yui-chan?_

Sakura slowly fluttered her eyes open, blinking uncomfortably when the sunlight hit her.

_Where am I?_ She had her back flushed against something cushy and her body felt warm, even though it wasn't nearly enough to warm her up entirely. She was sore all over, but she forced herself to sit up, smoothing down her disheveled curls. A bed; she was in a bed. In a room too, one she didn't recognize.

Fear suddenly crept into her mind as she took notice of her surroundings and realized she was currently at a man's house.

"Hey, yer finally up!" Someone said from a chair in a nearby corner, startling her. Sakura looked up to see a handsome boy with green eyes and blue hair with a bandana tied around his forehead. He was smiling and seemed to be regarding her with curiosity. "Ya've been out fer almost four days, ya know? We were startin' t' think ya died. Want somethin' t'eat? I bet yer real hungry."

Sakura nodded timidly, subconsciously pulling the covers closer to her body. He left the room through a door, coming back seconds later with a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks. He handed them to her, still smiling.

"Here ya go," he said. Sakura hesitated but ate anyway because she was afraid to go against him or to offend his feelings. "So... wanna tell me yer name?" Sakura's lips pressed together into a thin line as she shifted her gaze elsewhere. "Okay... how 'bout how ya got to the forest?" There was still no answer. Koji was getting exasperated. "Hey I was the one t' save ya, can't ya trust me at least a bit? I promise I won't hurt ya. I won't even touch ya if it's not whatcha want."

So he had saved her. He could've just left her where she was, but he had chosen to save her instead. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Sakura gestured to her throat and opened and closed her mouth a couple times. _"I can't speak"_, she tried to tell him.

Koji, surprised, looked at her. "Ya can't speak?" She shook her head. "Why? Are ya sick or somethin'?" Koji watched as Sakura shrugged and rocked her arms, as if cradling a baby. "Oh, you were born like that… that's horrible… but can ya tell me how ya got 'ere? And why ya're wearin' those strange clothes?"

It wasn't easy, but Sakura came up with some sort of weird signs and imitations to tell her story to Koji. Unfortunately it didn't work quite as she had planned to.

"A'ight lemme see if I got that straight… ya were readin' some book... right?" Sakura nodded eagerly. "N' then got sucked into it by a big bird?" She nodded one more time, only to have him openly laughing at her. "That's the craziest thing I ever heard. I think ya bumped yer head a little too hard, girl."

Sakura sighed dejectedly. There was no way he was going to believe her. Even she had trouble believing it and she was living the story. She chose to finish her rice instead. When it was finished, she handed him back the empty bowl and bowed in a silent thanks.

While Koji was in the kitchen – at least Sakura supposed he was in the kitchen – the front door opened to let in another boy. This one had flaming red hair, which was a little messy probably because of the wind. He had a black jacket draped over an arm and his eyes were closed, as he seemed to be out of it. He only noticed she was awake when Koji tripped and made a squeak coming back to the living room.

Their eyes met and Sakura was taken aback over their golden color. Genrou too was surprised; she had a very enticing eye color – lavender, with silver hues. It took him a minute to get himself straight.

"Ehh... looks like she's finally up, huh?" Genrou said, casually making his way to the table to put down the jacket. "Great! Now get 'er outta here."

"What?" Koji stared in disbelief over his coldness. "Ya can't be serious! She's been 'ere all this time an' now ya wanna throw 'er out? That's too mean, even fer ya."

"I toldya it's too troublesome!"

Sakura was thankful they had saved her and let her get her strength back. She didn't want them to fight because of her. She stepped out of bed, stumbling a little due to the numbness of her legs, and bowed deeply in front of them. Both men stared at her in surprise.

_What in Suzaku's name is she doin'?_, Genrou thought.

As she went for the door, Koji's hand bolted to her arm to stop her. "No, wait! Ya can't go," he told her. "Genrou, the girl can't speak... an' she's all alone... how she gonna get by like that? In no time she'll get caught by another bandit – a worst one."

"She don't speak?" Sakura shook her head. It was Genrou's turn to heave a sigh. "Well, I suppose she can stay fer a while... but only a while! Then she's off on 'er way."

Koji seemed content with that.

Sakura smiled, but faintly. She knew she had to find Yui and Miaka... but there was no way she could do it alone. Maybe if she befriended them, they could help her out.

"A'ight, now that's settled," Koji started, heading outside, "ya should go an' buy 'er new clothes. With those she draws too much unwanted attention."

Genrou glared at him. "Why me? Yer goin' there right now, aren'tcha? Just take 'er with ya," he replied.

"I would, but I can't. Sorry, but if anyone sees me with 'er they'll tell the boss an' then he'll want me to hand 'er over." Koji bolted through the door and down the stairs fast.

"KOJI!" Genrou shouted, but he was already gone.

_Damn that guy!_

Nervously, he glanced down at the girl standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Well, if it really was necessary, he'd just have to do it, didn't he? Genrou sighed; he knew she'd bring him nothing but trouble.

"I give up…. just... wait here 'till I come back 'kay? Do not touch anyhin' or move it outta place," he warned her before leaving.

Sakura went back to the bed. Her brows furrowed in worry for her twin and her friend. She hoped they were as fortunate as her and they had someone to help them out in that strange place.

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><p>When Genrou came back from the village, Sakura was still sitting on the bed, her legs bended close to her chest and her head resting on her knees. Just like he had told her to, she hadn't touched anything – or barely moved, for that matter.<p>

To say he was surprised was not enough.

"Here-" Genrou gave her a medium sized package, avoiding looking her in the eye. "Ya can dress there." He pointed to another door and Sakura quickly went in.

It was small room, faintly lit by the scarce light leaking through an only and small window, with no furniture. Sakura supposed he hadn't been living there long. The entire house seemed to be rather empty.

She tore the package open and pulled out whatever it was on the inside. It was a sleeveless white kimono-like dress, with a little touch of Chinese style. It had pretty cherry flowers scattered along the skirt and a thin lavender bow around the waist that tied in the back.

She loved it.

Sakura dressed it quickly and she was pleased to see it fitted her well. She untied the half of her hair that was usually pulled up by a bow and let it loose, fawning around her like a curtain.

When she finally stepped out of the room, Genrou, who had been leaning against the wall, waiting impatiently, had to stare. _Wow!_ – There was a thought that didn't cross his mind many times, although it seemed to apply in that case. She was quite the vision. But, he realized, even if not dressed too differently, she would still get unwanted attention – from men.

Genrou cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh... I see it fits..." Sakura nodded, blushing under his gaze. They stood where they were for a few minutes in silence, not knowing where exactly to go from there onwards. In the end, it was Genrou to break the tense silence, "are ya... hum... gonna tell me yer name or somethin'?"

Sakura grinned and mentioned for the cherry blossoms on her dress and then to herself. Genrou got it.

"Sakura eh?" She nodded. "That's kinda pretty... I guess..."

Genrou flushed deep at his own words. On the other hand, Sakura's smile didn't falter. She gestured funnily with her hands, confusing him. Was she trying to tell him something? Understanding his difficulty, Sakura took a couple steps closer, amused by how nervous he seemed to get, and formed the words with her lips.

"Oh! Yeah, my name's Genrou. An' I'm the rightful leader o' Mt. Leikaku's thieves!" Sakura chuckled at his enthusiasm, then mentioned for the other boy. "Koji? He'll be back in a few days – he always does, so don' worry 'bout him."

Silence crept over them again.

Sakura had a feeling Genrou wasn't particularly good with girls, which would prove to be problematic because she wasn't exactly good with boys either. All boys from her world never even bothered to spare her a second look. Well, they did, but once they found out she was mute, they would either run away or try to take advantage of her.

Genrou scratched the back of his head.

"Okay... I'm uh... goin' t'... go… See ya later..." He left the shed quickly and embarrassed.

Sakura chuckled silently. _Oh, this was going to be one crazy adventure._

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><p>So... what do you think?<p>

Love, Moon Princess.


	2. Slowly changing

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi characters, not even Tasuki. They are all property of Yuu Watase.

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><p>I know I haven't been posting much, but I'm kinda going through a rough patch right now. I'm sorry, I know most are probably waiting for me to update "I see stars in your eyes" and I do want to - I really <em>really<em> do - so I will try to do it the sooner I can. For now please enjoy this new chapter with lots of scenes with our most beloved Tasuki-chan! :D

I hope you like it.

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><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: How I fell in love with your silence<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"A Person Often Meets His Destiny On The Road He Took To Avoid It."_

- Jean de La Fontaine, the French poet.

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**Chapter 2:**

Two weeks had come and gone by already since Sakura first had stepped in that world. After talking to the boys who'd saved her, she learned that, apparently, she had somehow gone back in time and traveled to Ancient China.

According to Koji, her 'part-time tutor', there were four main territories: Kutou, to the East; Hokkan, to the North; Sairou, to the West; and, where she currently was, Konan, in the South. Each territory had its own deity – a god, so to speak. Seiryuu, Genbu, Byakko and Suzaku, respectively.

Seiryuu was the god of spring and metal. It took the form of a giant azure dragon and it was, supposedly, a war-related deity who usually had trouble getting along with its other companions. Genbu belonged to the winter season and its element was water. It made sense because it took the form of a giant turtle, carrying a serpent on its back. Byakko took the form of a white tiger and it was the god of autumn and gold. Lastly, Suzaku, the god of summer and fire, a magnificent phoenix-like bird who was cherished by couples and lovers.

When Koji told her about Suzaku, the pieces of the puzzle clicked together inside Sakura's head. Suzaku had been the one to bring her into the book. The god of love. But with what purpose? Since Koji clearly didn't believe her story, she couldn't exactly ask him and even if he did, she was sure he wouldn't know how to answer.

No matter how hard she tried, many pieces still wouldn't click together.

Sakura and Genrou didn't talk much during their time alone. A few words now and again but, other than that, nothing more. It suited rather fine because she was uncomfortable talking to boys. However, Genrou would often come to her and he would look as if he wanted to tell her something, always changing his mind at the last second and storming away.

It was… dare she say it, _endearing_. Albeit strange, of course. She had grown fond of him that week. Genrou might not have been the most talkative of the box, but he was very kind. Whenever Sakura would try to cook – and try because she had never cooked in her life –, he would always gulp down everything she'd make, even if it tasted horribly. If he'd notice her moping around, staring out the window while thinking of her sister and sighing, Genrou was quick to make her do chores or something distractive to get her out of that revere.

Those little things touched her heart, against her will, and she could feel herself warming up to him. Of course he still maintained a distant relation with her but, thanks to his small gestures and attempts to start a conversation, Sakura knew it wasn't out of hate or disdain. It was just the way he was.

Koji wasn't as distant as Genrou and, although he would only come by once in a while, they had become quite good friends. All that Sakura had learned from the world she was thrown into had patiently been taught by him. She was worried that she might've been bothering him with her curiosity at first, but Koji was actually excited to have someone looking up at him as Sakura did, as if he were an intelligent man. They would spend hours talking about everything, sometimes just getting to know each other. Sakura was constantly surprised with the little new things she'd find out about him every day, even when she thought she had him all figured out already.

They seemed like really close friends – Genrou and Koji, that is. Sakura had considered the possibility of them being brothers or related. Genrou was quick to correct her, though. They had grown up together, but they were just best friends and part of the same bandits' guild.

When Sakura was told that Genrou, the man she was living with, was a bandit, the rightful leader of a guild at that, she was more than a little frightened. She had been robbed once, in the street she used to take from her and her sister's high school to their house. It had been a traumatizing experience and she hadn't been able to get out of her bedroom for almost a month, too scared to be able to face forward the outside world. She eventually grew out of her fear but she still remembered, clear as water, how the robber had gripped her waist and put a knife against her throat, threatening to harm her if she didn't give him all her money.

Genrou was quick to notice her hesitance and the way she would jump whenever he'd call her. He might've not been a genius but it didn't take long before he put two and two together. So, one day, after he had just gotten back from his last trip to the village, Genrou pulled her outside and dropped a dagger in her hand, saying he would teach her how to use it if it made her feel safer. Sakura was against all kinds of weapons – she was a born pacifist – but she couldn't say no to his offer, especially because he only wanted to ease her worries.

Sometimes the two of them would spend hours training, just outside Genrou's place. No matter how clumsy and terrible she was, Genrou was always surprisingly patient, except when he'd unintentionally snap at her. Sakura got used to it fast, though, and, after a while, it stopped bothering her. He would always end up apologizing… in his own way at least.

Whenever they weren't training, Genrou was out of the house. Sakura had no idea where he went or what he did during his time out. However, something was always the same when he got back: the stoic expression on his face. Wherever he went, it seemed to worry him.

This was one of those days.

Sakura was laying on the bed, which was now hers because Genrou refused to let her sleep on the floor, although he didn't exactly say it, instead claimed he 'liked the floor better'. She had a yellowish piece of parchment in front of her and, to spend time, she was drawing a sky filled with stars. Sakura had always liked stars; they were twinkling little specks of beauty.

By the time the sun began to set, she was already giving her final touches to the drawing when Genrou came in. He looked stoic as usual, but his face softened after taking one glance at her. Even if didn't want to admit to himself, Sakura looked really cute with her legs up and her hair fanning around her as she expertly swept the brush across the parchment. It didn't seem like she had noticed him arriving, because her eyes hadn't strayed from her current task.

A spark of curiosity flickered in him. _What's she drawin'?_

Genrou walked to the bed and peered over her shoulders, careful as to not disturb her. He was taken-aback from what he saw. The starry sky Sakura had drawn with Chinese ink was one of the most beautiful artworks he'd ever seen. It rivaled a professional's work.

"Wow," he breathed, startling Sakura to death. She had sat up so fast that her drawing fell off the bed. Genrou quickly picked it before the fresh ink could be ruined. "Sorry, didn't mean t' scare ya. Ya drew this?"

Sakura nodded, accepting her work from his hands as he handed it back to her.

"It's real good, ya know? I mean, not that I know anythin' 'bout art but it looks real pretty," Genrou messily mumbled. Sakura smiled in return. "Ya like stars?" She nodded cheerfully. "I heard someone in town sayin' there's gonna be a star shower t'night… ya wanna watch it? The roof's got a pretty good view…"

Her smile widened into an ear-to-ear grin. Genrou blushed a little but, deep down, he felt happy that he was the one making her smile like that.

They walked outside as soon as the night fell over the mountain. After climbing on the rooftop, Genrou pulled Sakura up, trying not to pull her too hard, and helped her settle down. He took a seat by her right, next.

Genrou fell back, crossing his arms behind his head, and Sakura was quick to do the same. She scanned the skies with her eyes open in amazement. That sky was different from the one she often saw from her window. There were so many constellations and stars she didn't know… One in particular had caught her attention. She felt as if drawn by its orange color.

Hesitantly, Sakura poked the bandit's shoulder to call him. Genrou slightly shifted his head, looking at her with an annoyed face.

"What?" Sakura pointed towards the constellation she was staring at in a silent question. When he noticed where she was pointing, he couldn't help but to break into a smirk. "Those are the eight Warriors o' Suzaku an' that one – the one yer pointin' at – is Tasuki."

"_Tasuki?"_

He nodded. "Yeah."

"_What about that one?"_ Sakura asked in her mind as she then gestured to the constellation right next to Tasuki.

"That's Nagisai, the sixth warrior an'… Tasuki's lover…" With Genrou's bitter tone of voice, Sakura was confused. She looked at him quizzically and he chuckled, shaking his head. "Ya see there's this legend my folk use t' tell, 'bout a thief who fell in love with a beautiful princess. They said the two o' them met when the thief assaulted the palace. He was supposed t' get into the imperial room, grab the golden crown o' the emperor an' get the hell outta there. It was as simple as that, but, on the way out, the guards saw 'im, so, t' loose them, he hid in the princess's bedroom. When he turned 'round, the thief saw the princess sittin' by the window and, they say, they fell in love from the moment their eyes met. The thief thought she was gonna turn 'im in an' took his sword out t' defend 'imself, but the princess smiled, jokin' that he could take her jewelry too if he wanted."

Sakura's eyes grew big, her mind already deep into the tale.

"_What a brave princess,"_ she said, impressed.

"Ahh that's what the thief thought too." Genrou smiled, in a way proud to have gotten her attention so quickly. "He was so stunned by her that he went back the next day. An' the day after, an' the next, an' so on. Little by little they engaged a secret romance. But the emperor found out an' forbade them t' ever see each other ever again. The thief an' the princess went against his orders; they ran away together an' settled down in a quiet village. Unfortunately, soon after, the imperial guards eventually tracked them down. They had orders t' kill just the thief, so they did – they killed 'im right in front of the princess. When the guards tried t' take her away, she struggled t' get free an' kneeled down by the thief's body, crying in despair. Heartbroken, the princess grabbed her lover's sword an' pierced it through her heart."

"Suzaku," he continued, "the god o' love, took pity on them, warmed t' the core by such devotion. He turned them both into the constellations Tasuki and Nagisai so that they could always be together, even after death. See that string, right there?" Sakura nodded. "It's there to connect them – to bind them forever."

Sakura shoke his shoulder, to get Genrou to look at her, and said, _"That's called the red string of fate _**(1)**_."_

"String o' fate… tsk." Genrou snapped his tongue. "Everythin' just a load o' bullshit if ya ask me. As if a thief like Tasuki would fall for a creature as horrible as a woman."

His words hurt Sakura more than she'd willing to admit to herself. She had already heard him say, more than once, that women were nothing but trouble; it was clear that he disliked them. However, actually hearing him state it so bluntly, and obviously not worried about her at all, stung Sakura's feelings.

If he hated women so much, why had he allowed her to stay in his place with him? Why hadn't he just let her go away when she was willing to? It was silly to think Genrou felt like he had any kind of obligation towards her because Koji had told her a hundred times that he had been the one to save her from the woods. Genrou had no type of connection with her… then why was he still holding on to her and being so kind with her?

It didn't make sense.

"Hey, look!"

Sitting up, she glanced up at the sky and the display her eyes met marveled her. Billions of stars fell across the sky, showering over their heads like a silver rain of endless beauty. Sakura had heard of meteor showers from her Astronomy teacher but this, she guessed, was not a normal shower. There were so many of them; it felt as if every star in the sky was falling over the world.

The wind suddenly picked up. Sakura relished on the happiness she felt while witnessing such wonderful show and feeling the cool wind caressing her face. At that moment, she felt almost capable of flying.

"Beautiful ain't it, Sakura?"

Her heart did a flip in her chest. Sakura – he had called her Sakura. He had never called her name before. He would usually just address to her by 'girl' or 'hey you'.

Sakura peered at him over her shoulder, nodding and giving him her happiest most beautiful smile.

For a second, it was Genrou's heart that did a leap. Her hair was flying in every direction, her cheeks were colored in pink, her eyes had never looked so bright… and, he thought, the star shower suddenly paled in comparison. Sakura was the most splendid thing he had ever seen.

_Dear Suzaku_, he thought, his eyes widening in realization, _could it that I don't hate women after all?_

(A/N: Okay just so you know, the real "Tasuki" constellation, which is actually called Crater, doesn't have any other near it or at least not any that might look like tied together – Nagisai was completely made up by me. Moreover, the "Princess and the Thief" tale is also a product of my imagination.)

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><p>A couple days later, Genrou was still struggling with his dilemma. All of a sudden, he wasn't quite so sure whether or not he still hated women. When he had last visited the village, he tried to go into the tea house ran only by women and, mere ten seconds right after going in, he had already had enough of it. His body still went numb cold and he still felt unbearably annoyed whenever any of them would open their mouths, even if just to say hello.<p>

As a consequence of his doubts, he had decided it better to stay clear from Sakura. Well, as clearer as he could, taking in account that they did live under the same roof and half their time was spent together. It was beginning to worry Sakura, though, because she had no idea what she had done wrong. She really thought things were going fine with the two of them.

One afternoon, Sakura, tired of being cooped up inside the house, decided to wait outside for Genrou's return from wherever he went when he went out. She sat on an old wooden box near the door. By the position of the sun, Genrou was bound to be coming soon.

Almost as if he had heard her, Genrou's tall and lean silhouette quickly appeared on top of the stairs leading to the top of the mountain.

Genrou groaned inwardly when he noticed her. He was supposed to be avoiding her couldn't she get the message? He had thought he was being rather obvious about it.

"Hey," he dimly greeted, waving a hand. Sakura jumped to her feet and stomped towards him. Once she had stopped him, she gestured to her clothes and her skin, doing some 'washing-movements'. "Ya wanna take a bath?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Well… I suppose I can take ya t' the spring… I could use some cleanin' myself. Come on."

Genrou lead her down the mountain, keeping a steady rhythm, but he soon noticed that Sakura was having a hard time keeping up with his long strides and was tripping over everything while trying to catch up. Blushing furiously, Genrou picked her up bridal-style and ran, his amazing speed getting them there in no time.

Sakura was so surprised when her feet were swept off the floor, she hadn't even remembered to protest against it. Well that was different. She thought he was keeping his distance.

The spring was in a little clearing, away from the village but close enough from their house. It wasn't very large and there was a rock standing in the middle of the water. A couple bushes had grown too much and some of the heaviest branches were falling down, the leaves dipping in.

Genrou dropped her unceremoniously into her feet, ignoring her glare.

"I'll wait by the trees 'till ya finish, 'kay? Try not t' take too long," he said, walking off to the aforementioned trees. He was soon out of sight.

After making sure he really wasn't peeking, Sakura undid the bow around her waist. Her white kimono-dress slid down her shoulders, pooling around her feet on the ground. She sunk in the water, relishing in its lukewarm temperature and delicious sensation as it enveloped her skin. Then, when her body had gotten relaxed and comfortable, Sakura started with her hair.

A little farther in the forest, Genrou was impatiently pacing back and forth. He wanted to take a bath too, but he figured Sakura would be there for a while. His sisters used to take hours washing their hair.

Genrou sighed dejectedly. Then, he noticed the towel was still where it was – in his hand. His eyes got twice their normal size as he screamed in frustration.

"Dammit! Why the heck didn't I remember t' leave it with her?" He vented out to the silent forest. "What the hell am I supposed t' do now?"

He contemplated his options. First, he thought he could just stay where he was and let her fend for herself, but that seemed a bit too cruel. Next, he considered if he should go back there.

Well, that seemed like the only option.

Genrou returned to the clearing. Before stepping into it, he politely covered his eyes and called her out.

"Sakura? It's me, you uh... forgot yer towel! Can I open my eyes or are ya... are ya... uh..." He stumbled a little in his words. Awkward situations really took the best out of him.

A pebble hit him the forehead. Genrou supposed it was a confirmation, so he uncovered his eyes. His cheeks, already of a cherry red, went even redder at the sight. She might've not been stark naked, but she wasn't exactly entirely covered either. She had her bare arms crossed over her chest to hide it, although it was still showing cleavage, and her smooth white skin was scintillating with the last beams of sun falling over the drops of water covering her and her hair.

_Dammit, Suzaku!_ Genrou gulped loudly. He took a couple more steps towards the spring and dropped the sloppily folded towel near the edge.

"Ya gonna take much longer?" He covered his embarrassment with annoyance. "I need t' clean up too."

Sakura went thoughtful for a moment or two, before gesturing to the water and Genrou. _"You can bathe with me, if you want to"_, she was telling him, her cheeks flushing bright pink.

"What? Have ya gone mental? There's no way I'm gettin' in there while yer still in it!" He panicked. Sakura smiled fondly and swam to the rock in the middle of the spring, partially hiding behind it so that it served as barrier. Genrou hesitated first. "Oh... well... huh… I guess it's fine if it's like that... but ya gotta turn around!"

Of course she did.

Sakura heard the thud of his clothes plopping to the ground. Suddenly, it became hard for her to breath and it worsened when Genrou came inside with a loud splash. Her heart was pounding so harshly in her chest, she wondered if he wouldn't be able to hear it. She sneaked a peak over the rock, only to have a fright with the pair of golden eyes accusingly staring at her. She quickly turned back to her place, hiding her blushing face in her hands, in sheer embarrassment.

It stayed silent between them, except for the occasional rustling in the water when one of them would wash themselves. Not an awkward silence, though, rather a quite comfortable one.

"Ya know... this is kinda nice..." Genrou confessed after a while, surprising her with his words. "Maybe it's 'cause ya can't talk, but yer not like those other annoyin' girls. Most o' the time, it's almost like yer not even there... Were ya born like that?" Sakura nodded as he shifted a little and took notice of her grim look. "An' ya don't like it, do ya?" She fiercely shoke her head. Genrou's eyes softened in compassion. "You will definitely talk one day, because I'll find yer voice fer ya, Sakura. I promise, so don't be sad, a'ight?"

Genrou's words made Sakura's heart burn hot. No one had ever promised to give her back her voice - not even her siblings. It meant everything to her.

Overwhelmed by her feelings, Sakura went around the rock and took Genrou's big hand in her small one, not once flinching with its strange warmth. She thought Genrou would push her away, or scold her, but instead he gripped her hand tighter and looked up to the slowly darkening sky.

Unbeknownst by the two of them, the two symbols in their forearms (Sakura's left and Genrou's right) glowed with a strange, yet divine at the same time, red light. Unbeknownst by them, their meeting was far from being a mere coincidence. Yes, because Suzaku, himself, was guiding that girl like he was guiding his Priestess.

* * *

><p>About an hour, later Genrou decided to get out. Sakura, however, stayed in for a while longer, enjoying the tranquility of the water. Meanwhile he cleaned their clothes, lit a small fire and put them out to dry. As he did this, though, Genrou kept stealing glances in Sakura's direction. Even in the dark, he could see the contours of her body, the reflection of her red hair...<p>

He shook his head, blushing. _Why am I thinkin' like this? 'S not like I like her or anythin'._

His clothes dried faster, so he hurriedly put them on. But there was still one problem: Sakura's kimono would still take some time draying off, and it seemed like she wanted to get out. With a resigned sigh, Genrou took his off his jacket, reached it forward, opened it and looked the other way as she got out and patted herself dray with the towel.

"Yer clothes are dryin', 'kay? I hope ya don't mind wearin' my jacket fer a few minutes," he said after she had dressed the piece of clothe far too big for her. Genrou had never really noticed before but Sakura was very small, he would even say almost frail-looking.

They sat by the fire in silence - Genrou in one side and Sakura in another. Whenever he would sneak a look at her, she would be staring the fire in deep thought. For once, Genrou actually wished to know what was going through her head, what she was thinking and feeling. Even with her burrows furred in concentration, Sakura still was the most beautiful girl he had seen in his life... and he had met a lot of women - hence why he disliked them so much, they all brought him trouble.

Genrou moving to sit by her side. The movement caught Sakura's attention. She looked back at him quizzically.

"Ne, Sakura... what're ya always thinkin' 'bout? I never really asked ya, but Koji told me somethin' about how ya got here through some book... Wanna tell me o' it?" He truthfully asked.

Sakura launched herself in an animated and complicated gesturing, giving her best to make him understand and, at the same time, praying that he would believe her instead of making fun of her like Koji. Throughout the explanation, Genrou kept on nodding. There was a long pause when she finished, where he considered everything.

That close, Sakura had the perfect chance to observe his face clearly. As the youngest of her family, Sakura was never one to be around with boys and she never quite thought about them either. Even though she didn't pay attention to boys, she considered Genrou extremely handsome. His face was smooth and softly shaped with gentle lines and a strong jaw. His lips might've not been full but they matched him and Sakura knew, for a fact, that, when they stretched into a grin, they would show a pair of sharp fangs. The color of his eyes was mesmerizingly gold, with just the faintest tint of dark green, an unique but splendid combination.

_I've never really noticed before, but he really is gorgeous. _

"I believe ya," he suddenly said, startling her. She awed at him, him returning the look with a smirk. "Ya don't seem the type that would lie an' I've seen my share o' strange things so yeah… I believe it. It also explains those strange clothes ya were wearin'. What were those anyway? They common in yer world?" Genrou asked with a frown. She chuckled and moved her hands around, his gaze attentively following all her movements. "Fer school? Ya have t' wear uniforms fer school? That's stupid!"

Sakura wondered about his school, watching amused as Genrou winced.

"Ugh, don't even remind me! Ya think it's a just coincidence that I ended up becomin' a thief? School wasn't fer me, I hated it – all o' it. There were people tellin' me what t' do, how t' do it, what was right an' what was wrong... I was never one t' follow orders t' begin with, so I jumped into the first chance t' leave town I got."

Sakura's curiosity spiked. Didn't he have any family? Why would he want so badly to leave his hometown just to escape school? Seeing as she was getting so good at making up signs, she decided to ask him that.

"O' course I had a family. I wasn't born out o' thin air. Had a big one too actually: a mother, a father an' five freekin' annoyin' sisters." Sakura's mouth opened in a small 'o'; now she knew why he disliked women. Genrou continued, "they really made my life a livin' hell. All my mother did was boss me 'round, an' my sisters were always tellin' me t' do this an' that fer them. I was ecstatic to be gettin' outta there."

_"Don't you miss them?"_

Genrou snickered. "Psh, as if. I'm kinda like a lone wolf, I guess. I like bein' on my own." This time he didn't fail to see hurt pass through Sakura's eyes before she could look the other way. He went nervous. "I-I... look... I didn't mean it like that! I honestly didn't! Yer different, Sakura, one o' the few people I like havin' around."

Sakura timidly lifted her eyes to meet his. There was nothing but sincerity swimming inside of them. Eventually she smiled, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.

They settled into a comfortable silence after that. This time, however, was different, because when Genrou had leaned back into his hands, he had unconsciously left enough room for Sakura to be slightly nested into the warmth of his body.

Things between them had already began to change.

* * *

><p><strong>(1) <strong>The red string of fate - 赤い糸 - is an invisible thread tied around two destined lovers' pinky finger by the Gods, so far as the Japanese culture goes. In China, though, the thread was tied in their ankles.


	3. Burning, longing

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi characters, not even Tasuki. They're property of Yuu Watase.

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><p>Hi, guys! Well, first of all, thank you so much for all your support. I really wasn't expecting much to come out of this but I was very pleasantly surprised, so I'm truthfully thankful to all of you.<p>

I hope you like this chapter. Please, be free to give your opinions :D

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><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: How I fell in love with your silence<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"A Silent Firefly Is More Likely To Be Consumed By The Flames Of Love."_

- Unknown.

ooo

**Chapter 3:**

Two months swiftly went by.

Sakura and Genrou grew closer each day, despite his emotional conflict regarding her. He figured he liked having her around after all. She kept him company and, as a bonus, his house wasn't a mess anymore because Sakura would often spend her afternoons cleaning.

After a while, he learned how to trust her. He told her the story of how an awful man named Eikens had taken over his place as the rightful leader of Mt. Leikaku's thieves and stolen the magical iron-fan their dead chief had left for Genrou to take when he got back to the hideout. When Sakura asked why he had left the mountain, he confessed that he had gone looking for a cure for Hakurou, his leader and mentor, but it was too late when he returned with it. Koji, apparently, had been the only who still wanted Genrou to be the thieves leader and had helped him get back on his feet.

The injustice of it all, though, won Sakura's heart and she would often go over several different plans and ideas with Genrou. She wanted him to be the leader – he would make a fine one.

Koji still visited them once or twice a week, bringing by some supplies and news, and Sakura had found in him a great friend. Whenever he would walk, she felt as if the whole place lit up with his positive energy. He would play games with her, watch her draw, take her for a stroll and teach her. Sakura always had stuff to do when Koji was there.

Who didn't seem to be too satisfied with their close proximity was Genrou. He, himself, couldn't pinpoint the exact reason to why he felt his stomach tied up in knots when he'd see them together. A part of him just knew Sakura never looked as happy in his company as she did in Koji's. Another part of him, the deeper one, told him it was his own fault that he wasn't laid-back and easy-going like his friend with her. It was because Sakura was a girl, and not any girl but the only he would have near him.

It made Sakura more or less happy to see Genrou act funny when Koji stopped by. She had a feeling he might've been jealous, but she definitely wasn't about to ask him directly. She was content while watching him be silly to get her attention or to push Koji out the door.

Sakura sighed dejectedly, staring out the window by her bed. She had been drawing until a moment ago, her beautiful paintings were still drying out by her side, but she was feeling especially lethargic that day and not even sketching seemed to be lightening her mood.

Genrou glanced at her, amused by her endless sighing.

"Ya tired o' bein' cooped up?" He asked with a knowing smile. Sakura jumped, startled, but nodded nonetheless. "It must be hard fer ya… stayin' here all day with me fer company, right? Ya look like the kinda girl who likes t' run around free."

_"Not at all!"_ Sakura hurriedly corrected. _"I'm really glad you've left me stay here with you and I don't mind your company."_

"But ya are the kinda girl who likes t' run around, arentcha?" She smiled sheepishly, making him chuckle. "Well, I've been thinkin'… just so ya know, I don't like the idea o' ya out an' about but maybe we could go fer a walk in the village… not the one down there, o' course, 'cause it's too close to the hideout but there's somewhere else a little up ahead. What d'ya think?"

Sakura's entire face lit up with the mere thought of visiting a crowded place finally, after such a long time. She didn't even have to answer – Genrou knew it right away.

Before leaving, Genrou dug out of a box from under his bed, two cloaks; the black one he usually used to go out and a discreet beige one. He covered Sakura with the last, making sure it was firmly tied around her neck by a string, and pulled the hood over her head.

Then they left.

The village Genrou had talked about wasn't just 'a little' up ahead. In fact, it was more like 'way!' up ahead. By the time they reached it, Sakura was out of breath and cursing names at her companion in her mind. It turned out, however, that her effort was worthwhile, once she finally saw the picturesque sight that it was. She had never been to a village in Ancient China, nor had she seen much aside from their corner in Mt. Leikaku, and it was different from what she had imagined. The long straight-ahead streets were surrounded, both sides, by little merchant stalls and restaurants and taverns. Some windows had red Chinese lamps hanging down and red ribbons in honor of Suzaku and the Konan Empire.

There were lots of people walking up and down the streets and, for a brief moment, Sakura felt as if back in Japan again.

"Ya done gapin'?" Genrou joked, but slightly irritated by her awed reaction to a simple village. Self-consciously, Sakura snapped her jaw shut. "C'mon let's walk around. Yer way too easily impressed."

They moved through the crowd, trying not bump into anyone and, at the same time, trying to make themselves not too noticeable. Some people would look at them funnily, because the sun was hot that day and they were covered from head to toes. Most ignored them, though.

The smell of liquor suddenly filled Genrou's nostrils. As if by magic, he was immediately drawn by it and went in its direction, thinking Sakura was following him like she had been until then. He was feeling blissfully giddy because he hadn't drunk in almost three weeks. Since the night he and Sakura had bathed together, Genrou felt restless leaving her alone in the house while he went to the village to visit the tavern and drink. He also couldn't risk getting drunk and put her through it once he got home.

But now seemed like a good time to enjoy a bit of sake. Sakura would probably stop him if she thought he was drinking too much.

"Hey, Sakura, ya wanna get some steamed buns from this real good place I know? It has the best sake in the area too…" He looked behind him to see her answer, but his eyes met with nothing. "Eh, Sakura…? Sakura?"

* * *

><p><em>Oh no!<em>, Sakura thought panicking.

She was lost.

Somehow along the way, Genrou had let go of her hand and she, who was overwhelmed with everything and had gotten distracted while admiring the artwork of a street artist, had strayed off. Now, she had no idea where the bandit was, or even where she was.

Not really being able to go back, all she could do was move forward with the crowd.

Sakura found herself in a suspicious street, surrounded by degrading buildings and endless dark alleys. Several bums were sitting in the steps of an old abandoned house. They stared intensely as she walked by them, her head purposely hanging down so that the hood of her cloak would keep her face out of sight. Unfortunately for her, at the time, a man came in hurry from a close ally and, as he made his way back to the public avenues, his shoulder bumped into Sakura, throwing back her hood.

The bums exchanged a perverted smirk. When Sakura went to cover up herself again, one of them quickly moved to take a tight hold of her wrist and stop her. He was older by a couple years, but there were already crowfeet in the corner of his evil-looking eyes. He was looking hungrily at her, and Sakura was immediately consumed by a deep fear.

"Ehh! What a beautiful ojou-sama!" The bum said in a mocking voice. "Why don'tcha have some fun with us, huh? We're real funny guys, ya know? What d'ya say?"

Sakura vehemently shoke her head and pulled her wrist from him. He had a vice grip on it, though, and she only got it tightened to the point where it hurt her.

"Aww, don't be like that!" Another one of the bums chirped, making his way towards her too. "Just fer while. You won't regret it after we're done."

"What's goin' on with her, man? Why the hell ain't she sayin' nothin'?"

"Don't know. Hey! Say somethin'!" The one holding her shoke her rudely to get an answer from her. Sakura reacted by pulling away from him some more – or trying to, at least. He squinted his eyes at her, clearly irritated by the lack of response. "Ya think yer funny, do ya? Let's see if ya still keep yer mouth shut when I do this-" He slapped her hard in the cheek, the impact almost sending her flying. Sakura gasped, tears beginning to pool in her eyes, but the sound came out silent and it finally lit up the light in the bums' heads.

"Well, look at that… she's mute! Oh we're gonna have so much fun with this one, guys!"

Finding this an opening, while they were boasting and cackling evilly, Sakura brought the dagger Genrou had given her out of her dress. She thrust the dagger forward, but the bum holding her had caught the movement in time so it only scratched his shoulder. As he grabbed it, groaning in pain, she made a run to the corner she had turned before.

Another thug caught her by the arm holding the weapon; he took it away from her and put it threateningly against her neck. "Stupid girl!" He disdainfully spat as he took a fistful of her hair to pull her head back.

"Tsk! Where the hell she got a knife? A normal ojou-sama doesn't go around carryin' a freakin' weapon!"

"Don't matter. Let's just get this over with before anyone sees us."

Sakura closed her eyes, tuning them off. She couldn't watch it anymore. It was all a nightmare and she just wanted to wake up, but she knew no one would come and save her. No one would come even if she could cry for help. Just like no one had the last time something like this had happened.

They ripped the cloak off her and then went for her clothes. A big and rough hand pushed the collar of her dress, groping and touching every skin that the action exposed. Sakura felt disgusted by the feeling. She just wanted it all to be over with, so that she could go back to Genrou.

Genrou would make everything better.

Genrou was different from all of them.

Genrou!

"Get yer dirty hands off her right now, ya filthy thugs!"

Her eyes opened at the sound. Genrou jumped off the roof of the nearest building, his face set in the most furious scowl she had ever seen him with.

The bums snickered, little intimidated by him.

"An' if we don't, what're ya gonna do, huh? Yer just one against six o' us, there's nothin' ya can do."

"Wanna bet?"

They lunged at Genrou, but he dodged the sloppy attack with ease and kicked one in the stomach. He fell to the ground. Another one swung a close fist that swished past his nose. Genrou grabbed his wrist, twisting and sending him flying the other way. The other two moved hesitantly, aimed a low kick at his legs. He jumped, flipping over them in the air, copied their move and succeeded.

The one who had been holding Sakura was left alone. He took one look at his companions, glared daggers at Genrou and ran way.

Genrou was out of breath after fighting and, previously, running like an animal through the village, looking for her. When an hour went by and he couldn't find her anywhere, Genrou felt a kind of panic he hadn't felt in long time. If he didn't find her, he wasn't sure he could live with himself.

The kanji he had in his forearm had started glowing a while ago. For some reason, Genrou's instinct told him to follow the direction the red glow was pointing towards. If he hadn't, maybe he wouldn't have found her. When he did, seeing other men touching her and enjoying themselves at her expense, Genrou's vision became blurred with rage.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced back at Sakura. His heart felt heavy. Her legs had given out under her, she had her head hung down, her hair pooling around her like a curtain shielding her face from him, her kimono-like dress was sliding down her shoulders.

"Sakura…?" Genrou tried, hesitantly. She didn't answer or gave any indication of having heard him. He clenched his hands into fists, swallowing down his anger and frustration. He got her cloak off the ground, dusting it off, and wordlessly crouched in front of her. He pushed her hair away, put her clothes in its proper place, careful as not to touch her directly, and wrapped the cloak around her. "C'mon, let's go home."

When he eased her up in his arms, she winced, and, for a moment, he wondered if carrying was the right thing to do. His worries were eased, however, when Sakura clung at his neck as if her life depended on it.

"Don't worry, 'kay? Everythin's fine now. I gotcha."

* * *

><p>Sleep that night was impossible for Sakura. She couldn't even close her eyes, otherwise the memory of the thug's dirty violent disgusting hands would take over her mind again. The feeling and the pressure of them was still imprinted all over her body, even after she had scrubbed it more than clean.<p>

The next morning, Genrou woke her up earlier than he used to by softly calling her name. He didn't touch her. Deep down, Sakura wished he did. Genrou's touch overpowered every bad memory or feeling she had.

"I have somethin' fer ya so get up." After she did, he gave her a package wrapped in brown paper. "Put that on an' meet me outside, a'ight?" Sakura nodded.

The package was another set of clothes – this one more sportive and dynamic. It was a beige cheongsam and a pair of black tight pants. Very simple, but also elegant at the same time, with just a bit of a boyish touch. And, as Sakura dressed the outfit, it fitted her perfectly, like her other dress had. In the back of her mind, she wondered how Genrou seemed to always get her measurements right, but she shrugged it off and blamed it on instinct.

Once she finished sticking her feet inside her flats, Sakura walked out of the house.

Outside, Genrou was stretching. He had discarded his black coat, hanging it in a nearby branch, and wore only his white shirt and beaded necklaces. His light-colored pants had been tugged inside his mountain boots so that its length wouldn't get in the way of his agile almost feline-like movements. He smiled a little when he noticed her by the door.

"I see it fits ya," he observed. Sakura nodded. "Ai'ght. Now, tie yer hair up and copy what I'm doin'."

Sakura used the rubber band on her wrist to put her hair in a high ponytail. Then, she settled in front of Genrou and began stretching. They first did their necks, shoulders, arms and wrists. Next, their back, legs, ankles and feet.

She was starting to think she was back in her P.E classes. What was the point of doing all those morning stretches?

"That's enough. Here," he handed her a thick wooden stick. "I want ya t' use this t' try an' hit me with all ya have." Sakura's eyes widened and she was quick to shake her head, objecting to it. "Trust me; ya won't hurt me. First, I just wantcha t' blow off some steam an' then I'll teach how t' do it correctly. I ain't gonna take any more chances. Even after I taught ya to use that dagger, it still wasn't enough, so now yer gonna learn how t' defend yerself properly in case I ain't around."

Sakura knew it was pointless to argue with Genrou – he always got away with everything he wanted.

Hesitant at first, she swung the stick at him. Genrou expertly dodged it. It annoyed her for some reason that he had done it so easily, so she did more firmly the next time. When the same happened after the fourth time, Sakura could feel her anger boiling her blood and her attacks became powerful with frustration and the remaining despair from last night.

They danced around the clearing; Sakura lunging at him, and Genrou moving out of the way. When he noticed her panting, Genrou told her to stop.

She allowed her legs to bring her down and took deep breaths, inhaling through her nose and exhaling out of her mouth. Before she could hold it in, tears poured out of her eyes like raindrops falling from a cloud on a stormy day. Her body trembled with each hiccup that made its way out of her lips.

Genrou crouched down and stared into her eyes, smiling knowingly. "Feels good, right? Not havin' t' hold it all inside…" Sakura hiccupped harder, hiding her crying face in her hands. She felt Genrou pat the crown of her head softly, in a vague attempt of comforting her. "Ya know, Sakura, people say cryin' is fer the weak but, sometimes, it's good t' do it. My okashira used t' say we all got a limit an' when we reach it, those emotions gotta come out one way or another. Ya don't have to hold everythin' fer yerself anymore… ya have me now… ya can share with me…" He blushed a little, but pulled out a grin when she nodded frantically. "Now, stop with the cryin'. I'm gonna teach ya how t' fight like me."

By the time the sun was setting, Sakura was fighting very nicely. Not quite like Genrou, or a professional, but better than she ever thought she could in her entire life.

Her teacher was beyond proud.

As he watched her move, performing movements he'd seen countless times, his heart thumped loudly in her chest.

_Her clothes are too tight_, he thought nervously. The subtle curve of her hips was too evident in the small cheongsam and her pants were too fitting of her thin legs. Her body was strangely hourglass-ish for a girl so petite, or was it just his imagination?

Lost in his musings, Genrou failed to notice the playful gleam in Sakura's eyes. She swung the stick under his legs and he went down like a rock. Instinctively, his hand grabbed the first thing it could, which turned out to be the hem of her tunic and, consequently, it brought her down with him as well. Sakura found herself straddling him, but all she could do was laugh.

Genrou chuckled.

"Ya think ya got me, huh?" He asked, teasingly. Sakura nodded cheerfully, looking down at him through her long lashes. Fighting the knots in his stomach, Genrou slid a hand over her back and flipped them over so quickly she didn't have time to blink in surprise. "Ah! Gotcha."

Sakura smiled nervously, leaning her head back on the dirt to see his face. Genrou's cheeks were tainted in pink as he stared back at her. His elbows were on each side of her head and one of his knees supporting his weight in between her legs. His breathing was stuck in his throat.

This wasn't a very good situation to be in, he figured. That close, all he could feel, all he could see, all he could smell… was Sakura – sweet and loving Sakura. He wanted to reach out and touch her skin. Maybe even lower his head down and kiss her lips, because they looked so inviting, so red and tender. Genrou wondered if she would kiss him back if he did or if she would also run her hand through his hair, as he wanted her to.

Genrou sucked in a wide gush of air and got off her, pretending that what happened had been meaningless. Sakura followed after.

"We're done fer today. Tomorrow we'll try some more, 'kay?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. "C'mon, let's get somethin' t' eat. I'm starvin'."


	4. My life for yours

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi characters, not even Tasuki. They're property of Yuu Watase.

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><p>Hi, everyone! I'm back with another chapter :D<p>

I'm so glad people like this story. I hope you keep enjoying it like I enjoy writing it.

* * *

><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: How I fell in love with your silence<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"To Live Is Like To Love – All Reason Is Against It And All Healthy Instinct For It."_

- Samuel Butler.

ooo

**Chapter 4:**

Another month went by.

Sakura was lying in her bed, trying to read one of the many books Koji had brought to her the last time he visited. They were written in Ancient Chinese, and, even though he was persistently teaching her how to read the characters, she still had a hard time in doing it.

Sitting by her feet, on the bed too, leaning his back against the wall, Genrou was killing some of his time by giving a polishing touch to his swords and her dagger.

The atmosphere between them had become tense and awkward lately. Each time their eyes would meet, the room heated up and they would quickly look the other way. Whenever Genrou would catch a glimpse of her skin that he shouldn't, his whole stomach burned hot.

They still talked to each other, still practiced together, and occasionally shared a good laugh. But something had undoubtedly changed between them, especially for Genrou.

There was a sudden knock on the door, startling them.

"Knock-knock. 'Who is it?' It's Koji, here t' see the beautiful Sakura and his friend Genrou. 'Oh, please come in.' Arigato." Koji opened the door and swiftly made his way in, with a big cheerful grin. Sakura jumped out of her place, the book left forgotten, and threw herself in his arms. "Ah! Ya see, Genrou? This is why I come here so much; I got this kawaii girl waitin' fer me. How're ya today, Sakura-chan?"

Genrou frowned. Their closeness bothered him. He hated how Koji touched her so casually, without any moment of hesitation, and he hated how her smile would just lit up her whole face when she looked up at him.

_Bah, this is stupid! I've got no business feelin' this way_, he thought furiously.

"... an' I heard someone sayin' today's the Hanami Festival. Ya wanna come?" Genrou caught the conversation in time to hear Koji's invitation. He glanced back at her worriedly.

Sakura's face paled alarmingly with the mere thought of visiting another village again. Sometimes, at night, she still had nightmares with the last episode. Her blood froze in recollection.

"It's best if ya don't go, Sakura," Genrou offered.

Koji quirked an eyebrow. "Eh? Why not? She's gonna love it! The whole place's filled with cherry trees in flower."

Oh she always loved cherry trees in flower… it had been her favorite time of the year since she was little. Her brother used to joke around saying they blossomed every spring because they wanted to make her smile.

Maybe she could give it a try… if Genrou went with her…

_"I think I want to go,"_ she told him, putting her up in a messy updo.

"Ya sure?" Genrou asked, clearly surprised. Sakura nodded. "Well… a'ight… but don'tcha go wander off again! Stay close t' me."

The village was beautiful that night. Even Genrou was forced to admit it.

There was just something very charming about the little tents selling sweets and the gaming booths. The villager's had hung red and golden paper lanterns, some with the image of a phoenix – Suzaku, Sakura figured –, over their booths and establishments. Its faint orange glow made the streets look inviting, but still let the couples talk discreetly in the shadows, away from prying eyes.

What Sakura found more beautiful, though, were the cherry trees in full blossom. They rose above their heads like the hands of a giant, reaching to grab the village, burning under the moonlight and the lanterns. She marveled at how gracefully the petals spiraled down, over them.

It was strangely reassuring that, even though she was so far from home, the cherry trees still looked the same.

Genrou smirked at the gleam in her eyes. "Ya like the sakura trees, huh Sakura?"

She chuckled, nodding cheerfully.

"Come on!" Koji urged on. "Where do ya guys wanna go first? The archery booths, the iron arm match, the wrestling combat-"

"Hey hey! How 'bout we stay 'way from violent places where someone, an' by someone I mean this one right 'ere, might get hurt by accident?" Genrou cut off, pointing not very discreetly to Sakura, who was standing close to his body.

"Oh, right…" Koji turned back to her, looking slightly sheepish. "Yeah, sure, sounds like a good idea. Then let's try that one."

They went to the aforementioned booth, where Koji paid for three _pocky _sticks. The seller stared hard at Genrou's form, partially hidden underneath a black cloak, with a furrowed brow, holding their sticks out in one hand. Koji promptly snatched them away and hurried his friends further down the busy and crowded streets, giving each one stick.

Sakura devoured hers in the blink of an eye and couldn't help but to look at the empty stick sadly. Genrou shoke his head, sighing in defeat, and offered her the remaining half of his pocky. When she flashed him a dazzling grin, he scratched the back of his head and moved away with Koji, who had seen the whole scene unfold and found it very amusing.

"Ahh look-" Koji pointed towards a gaming booth with a tank full of water balloons. He smirked when Sakura made a face of recognition – she and Miaka used to play yoyo-tsuri all the time when they were younger. "I'm gonna getcha one!" He headed to the booth, but was closely followed by Genrou who, having also noticed Sakura's face, wasn't about to let his friend win her attention over him. Although he didn't want to know why exactly he thought like that.

Koji and Genrou rivaled to get her the only lavender, with white flowers, water balloon. Sakura cheered for the both of them equally, but Koji was the winner in the end. She happily accepted the yoyo, chuckling as she bounced it up and down from the string attached to her middle finger. It was just like the one she and her sister used to get from their big brother. He would always get the green ones for Miaka and the lavender for Sakura, because of their eyes.

The orange haired bandit crossed his arms and pouted, almost sulking like a little child. Then, as he looked around, he spotted another booth, except with a shooting game – his favorite.

Genrou grabbed Sakura by the hand and snatched her away from the much too intimate, for his liking, conversation she was having with Koji.

"Yo, what're ya doin' Genrou?"

"I'm just gonna take 'er fer a while," he answered over his shoulder. "Go drink some sake or whatever an' we'll catch up withcha later!"

Keeping the cloak half over his face, shielding it, he approached the booth man.

The old man smiled broadly at the costumers. "Hey there, young fella! Wanna give it a try?"

"What's in it fer me if I win?" Genrou asked.

"Depends. Let's pretend ya hit one target instead of the three; then ya can choose a hat. If ya get two, ya can get a weapon, and if ya hit all three targets… well, son, I'll letcha choose whatever ya want."

Genrou sneaked a glance at Sakura, who was curiously looking at him, and smirked. "A'ight. Come 'ere, Sakura." She did and he settled behind her, grabbing the small bow from the seller and guiding her hands to hold it properly. Sakura widened her eyes in bewilderment. It made him laugh. "I'll lead yer hands, 'kay? First, ya gotta relax yer body – I said relax, Sakura, not tense up."

Sakura blushed. It wasn't that she wasn't trying to relax, but the feeling of his strong chest pressed against her back had her body reacting differently. She was beginning to get accustomed. It was just something that seemed to happen whenever Genrou was too close to her.

"Okay, pull this arm back. That's right, and don't forget to aim – exactly." Genrou instructed while correcting her posture. With his left hand over hers on the bow, he brought the right one to circle her small waist, eliminating the space between their bodies. He could feel her heart race on her ribcage and hear her fast breathing. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "now let go."

And she did.

The bowstring released a sound akin to a groan and the arrow shot at full speed. It hit the bull's eye.

Sakura spun on her heels and jumped to throw her arms over his neck, laughing. Genrou chuckled as well and awkwardly patted her back, because he didn't know what else to do exactly.

"'t was fun, right?" He asked, earning a frantic nod from her. "Good! But now ya gotta let me choose the prize, 'cause ya wouldn't have done it without me." She shoke her head at his arrogance, but complied nonetheless.

Genrou told her to close her eyes and then mentioned for the old man to bring down the jewelry. Once he saw the beautiful hair piece, he knew it. He grabbed it, thanked the man and turned back to Sakura.

"Ya can open yer eyes," he said. Sakura's breath hitched as she saw what he had chosen. It was the most wonderful kanzashi she had seen – black and golden, with delicate white cherry blossoms. "Like it?"

Her eyes softened at the hesitance in his voice. She looked up at his face, smiling fondly at his red cheeks.

"_I love it, Genrou."_

Genrou flushed darker. Fighting against the urge to rub his face until it was back to its normal color, he reached forward and weaved the kanzashi on the side of her messy updo. He smiled when he drew back to admire his work – It did suit her after all – and nodded approvingly.

"Looks nice," he honestly said. Sakura blushed softly and smiled, raising a hand to touch it gently. "Come on. Let's see if we find that baka."

They made a motion to go down the street, where they'd seen Koji last disappear into, but before they could the old man who had sold them pocky made his way out of the crowd. He was soon followed by a group of scary-looking men, armed to the teeth.

"Dammit!" Genrou muttered under his breath.

"There they are! I'm sure that's him!" The old man said, pointing to Genrou and Sakura trying to ran way.

The men reached for their spears. "Stop right there, you two!" Another group came up behind them, cutting their escape short. "Come with us peacefully an' no one'll get hurt, Genrou!"

The people around them began whispering at the mention of Genrou's name. It made him smirk – he was still famous.

"Grab onto me, Sakura," he mumbled to her. Sakura put her arms around his waist, burying her fingers in the back of his cloak. "Sorry t' disappoint you, guys," Genrou called out, "but I don't plan on gettin' caught by a bunch o' girly girls who turned their backs on okashira's last wishes!"

He jumped high, landing on top of a house with Sakura. In a quick movement, he picked her up and took off running like the wind over the rooftops. The men followed him from the ground, but they had a hard time accompanying Genrou's supernatural speed.

As soon as he thought he had lost them, he jumped down, setting her on the ground.

"Genrou! Sakura-chan!"

They heard Koji call, sneaking out from behind a tree a little further down the mountain. Genrou smirked, already bubbling to tell his friend how quickly he'd lost the bandits, when he noticed the widening of his eyes. He spun around and spotted one of the men aiming an arrow at Sakura.

His sight went red.

"Sakura!"

Genrou pushed her out of the way just in time to miss the arrow. However, it pierced right through his shoulder, sending poison into his blood. It figures; with his messed up, of course the arrow had to be poisoned. He had to bite his tongue so that he wouldn't scream with the pain. He fell down like a brick, his body shaking with convulsions.

Sakura kneeled down beside him, leaning over his body. Tears pooled behind her eyes as she got him into her lap and as he looked up at her with the shadow of a smile.

"Don't cry, Sakura. I'll be fresh as a daisy by tomorrow, huh?" He tried to joke, only succeeding in making her cry more. She couldn't help but to question why. His eyes softened and he brought a hand to touch her cheek. "My life fer yours… eh, it doesn't sound like such a bad deal."

Then, he went.

Sakura panicked. Her mind was blank, she had no idea what to do or even how to move. She felt frozen by fear. It was a good thing Koji's took over control and knew exactly what to do. He pulled the arrow out, stopping the bleeding the best he could with a piece of his shirt, then he swung Genrou's uninjured arm over his broad shoulders and told her to do the same with the other one.

"We gotta get 'im back t' the house. That arrow was poisonous," Koji told her aggravated.

They got home quickly, though not nearly as quickly as either of them would've liked. There, Koji peeled off his friend's jacket, the same with his bloodied shirt, and laid him on the bed carefully.

_This is bad_, he thought, biting his lower lip. Genrou was burning with a fever and there wasn't any healer he could get to help him.

"He's burnin' up, Sakura-chan... I-I don't know what else t' do..." The seriousness of the situation finally caught up to him. Koji hated feeling so powerless, so useless.

After calming down and leveling the situation some more, Sakura pushed him away from Genrou and got into the bed, kneeling beside him and telling Koji to help him sit up. Once he did, she tore the piece of Koji's shirt and closed her mouth around the bleeding wound, sucking deeply.

She remembered her mother once telling her the only way to stop a killing from poison was to suck the poison out of the system before it reached the heart. That would usually take a few hours, so she had that in her advantage. Maybe she could get it all out before that.

It still broke her heart out to hear him scream in pain.

After sucking all the poison and spitting it into her handkerchief, Sakura ripped a sheet into pieces, patched him up and, lastly, let him fall back into the softness of the pillows. Genrou was quick to fall asleep.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Koji asked worriedly. He sighed with relief when she nodded. "Phew! That was close... Where ya learned t' do that?"

_"Back home."_

"Well, that was amazin', Sakura-chan. But I have t' go back t' now... ya up to takin' care o' him tonight?" Sakura nodded. "A'ight, then. I'll stop by next mornin'. Make sure ya get rest too." Koji kissed her forehead before leaving.

Alone, Sakura heaved a deep sigh, staring at the nadit who had been protecting her all that time. It hurt her that he was in so much pain because of her. Why had he jumped in front of her? Why couldn't he have just pushed her out of the way without getting hurt?

If he wouldn't have made it… oh Sakura didn't think she could live with herself anymore.

Sakura stripped of her bloodied kimono-like dress and washed it in cold water and soap, hoping the blood would come out. In the meanwhile, she put on one of Genrou's shirts, tying it firmly with a belt because it was much to lose. She went to get a bowl, filling it with water, and looked around for a soft cloth. She took a seat on a chair by the bedside and gently dapped Genrou's forehead with the wet cloth to help the fever go down. She would stay awake all night if she had to, but she would definitely make it go dow.

_If you hear me, please don't let him get any worse overnight_, she prayed silently to whichever deity was watching her at the moment.

* * *

><p>The fever was high for three days. During which Sakura didn't sleep much as she was constantly dapping his forehead, forcing him to drink some tea and eat something whenever he was mildly awake. Her hope was beginning to quail, but on the third day his temperature suddenly was back to normal. He was breathing better, his sleep wasn't so restless anymore and the wound began to heal a lot faster.<p>

It was almost evening when Genrou woke up from his long, yet invigorating, sleep. He groaned with the soreness of his muscles and brought a hand to feel his wounded shoulder, only to find it all healed under the bandages.

_Sakura must've done it_, he thought. As he glanced to his left, he met her troubled sleeping face. She didn't look better than him; her burgundy curls were sliding from their messy updo and sticking to her flushed cheeks, there were dark bags under her eyes. She was grabbing his hand tightly, almost as if she was afraid he might vanish out of thin air.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Sakura..." He shoke her gently, but she didn't even flinch. With a chuckle, Genrou brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes and called her again, "Sakura." She kept sleeping, so he tried a little harder this time, "wake up, Sakura! Yer makin' my hand go numb!"

It worked like a charm. Her head snapped up and she let go of his hand. Albeit a little disorientated and irritated, Sakura managed to pull it together and recognize Genrou's very awakened state. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Oi! Have ya gone crazy, ya damn woman? What're ya doin'? Gahhh, Sakura!"

Amongst her hug and Genrou trying to escape from it, both ended up tumbling off the bed. When he propped himself up on his elbows, cringing from the impact, he found himself in the most awkward situation he could get into – Sakura was underneath his body. Her hair had come out from its updo and it had scattered over the floor, kind of like velvet waves. Her lavender eyes were wide as they stared up at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

Genrou slid his eyes over her figure, involuntarily being drawn by the loose collar of the shirt. He blushed furiously at the sight of the top of her perfectly round breasts but, at the same time, he couldn't tear his gaze away. _Dear Suzaku! She's naked under that!_

Genrou gulped down loudly, she copied the gesture. How were they supposed to get out of that? Especially when he felt himself wanting desperately to rip off the few clothes that represented the only barrier between them? Suddenly, however, the front door swung open.

Koji, with both arms full of groceries and packages, walked in unceremoniously, as always. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw best friend on top of a blushing partially naked Sakura. A coy smirk made its way to his lips.

"Am I interruptin' somethin' here? 'Cause I can always come back later, ya know..." He teased.

Genrou jumped away from Sakura, like he'd been burned. She sat up and folded her knees underneath her.

"We weren't doin' anythin'! We just fell off the bed when this crazy woman tried t' strangle me..." Genrou explained nervously and raising his hands in the air. He purposely ignored Sakura's glare.

"O' course ya did." Koji chuckled, putting down the stuff he'd brought over the table. "I didn't know if ya guys had 'nough food or not but I figured ya'd be pretty short on it after these days, seeing as ya couldn't leave bed an' Sakura was here all the time takin' care o' ya."

Genrou walked over to Koji and peered over his shoulder the stuff. "I know what these are... but what're those? Presents? Oh, Koji man, ya shouldn't have!" He joked, referring to the extra packages he'd brought and patting him on the back.

"I didn't," Koji said, rolling his eyes, "they're fer Sakura-chan." He crouched in front of Sakura gave her the packages and grinned like the Cheshire cat. She unwrapped the packages and pulled out two hanfu dresses – one white and red, the other purple and blue. "Ya like 'em?"

Sakura nodded enthusiastically, hugging him running to the other room to go try them on. From his spot, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, Genrou glared daggers at Koji.

"She's got a nice outfit already, why did ya buy 'er new ones?" He asked angrily.

"Well and why not? She's a girl... girls like clothes."

"Sakura's not like other girls, she doesn't care fer that sorta stuff," he replied, furrowing a brow at Koji suspiciously. "Are ya tryin' t' seduce 'er? Ya can't do that! She's like... like... like one o' us!"

Koji laughed. _Man, he really is clueless_, he thought.

"No, I'm ain't tryin' t' seduce 'er, don't worry. Just do me a favor and don't go 'round thinkin' she's like one o' us, 'cause even an idiot like you can definitely tell she0s nothin' like us."

"Humph! Whatever."

The door from the small room opened and Sakura came out, smiling happily. She had chosen to wear the purple and blue hanfu. The top shirt, with long wide sleeves, was white and the ankle-length skirt was blue, tied around her tiny waist by a purple bow.

What brought Genrou a strange sense of satisfaction, though, was the kanzashi she had keeping her hair in the same simple updo from before.

"Ohh ya look so kawaii, Sakura-chan! Gimme a little spin, will ya?" Sakura did and blushed when he wolf-whistled. "I just knew those colors would look great on ya."

"Bah, this isn't important at all!" Genrou vented out, leaving the wall to take a seat on the bed. "I got somethin' t' talk t' ya... 'bout Eikens an' gettin' my Tessen back..."

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><p>Love, Moon Princess.<p> 


	5. Until we meet again

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi characters, not even Tasuki. They are all property of Yuu Watase.

* * *

><p>Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter - can you say 'finally!" xD<p>

Yeah, I know it's been an awfully long time, but I've been busy with my final exames, which by the way were actually not all that bad. Let's cross our fingers that I can get into the college I want to!

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Please review :D

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><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: "How I fell in love with your silence"<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"You Know You're In Love When The Hardest Thing To Do Is Say Goodbye."_

- Unknown.

ooo

Until we meet again

"Tell me again why the hell are we draggin' Sakura int' this?" Genrou asked for the hundredth time with exasperation.

The three of them were standing barely outside the entrance of Mt. Leikaku's thieves' hideout. The plan was getting Sakura to distract the guards at the gates and Koji to go back and act like he knew nothing, so that Genrou could sneak in unnoticed. It was perfect. Genrou just wasn't liking the part in which Sakura had to distract the guards. They were, after all, thieves and, worst of all, men. They would drool all over her and tell her awful things, and they would definitely try to touch her.

He simply couldn't bear the thought of someone laying another finger on her after last time.

"Geez, relax Genrou; she'll be fine. If any of 'em tries somethin' funny, she'll just run straight back t' the lake an' hide, right?" Koji looked at Sakura who nodded in agreement, wanting to convey a brave image.

"Fine," Genrou complied, pouting. "But I want ya t' wait fer Koji t' getcha before gettin' back t' the house. Don't let none o' them get their dirty hands on ya!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, but nodded. As if she would let them touch her.

They each went their own way.

With a little amount of luck, they just might be able to pull off the act and grab the Tessen safely and successfully.

* * *

><p>Sakura ran through the dark forest, trying to keep her breathing steady. The lake was close already and she hoped Koji would be there waiting for her. She spotted him, tapping his foot impatiently and running a hand through his dark blue hair. He glanced up when he recognized her light footsteps.<p>

"What took ya so long? Hurry up! Genrou's already gone. Ya wouldn't believe what happened back there...!" Koji launched in a detailed, maybe also exaggerated, version of how the orange haired bandit had gone through the window on Eikens room and kidnapped a girl he and his comrades had been forced into bringing him. Apparently, in Koji's opinion, the paper wolves were a little over the top, but the effect was good.

_A girl?_, Sakura thought, tuning him out, _he's all alone in the house with another girl?_

She picked up her pace, Koji close on her heels, smirking knowingly. When they reached the top of the stairs, Koji knocked as he usually did.

"Konbawa. "Who is it?" It's Genrou's bes-" Sakura cut him off and opened the door herself. "Oi! Ya can't interrupt me, Sakura-chan! My yoshimoto is sacred!" Koji whined.

At first, when Sakura saw Genrou sitting in the middle of the floor with no jacket and nose to nose with another girl, all she saw was red. Then she recognized the girl. She had hair as red as hers, tightly pulled into two buns, and big green eyes, staring back at her wide in shock as well. Sakura was couldn't even believe her own vision.

"Sakura?" Miaka whispered as if she was afraid that, by saying her name, she would vanish into thin air. "Oh my God, Sakura! I've been so worried!"

Miaka threw her around her neck, engulfing her in a bone crushing hug. She didn't mind, though. In fact, she returned the embrace just as passionately and firmly as her sister.

Odd. Sakura hadn't noticed, probably because Genrou frequently kept her mind busy, but she really did miss her.

Miaka stepped back a little to look at her petite twin, tears beginning to threaten to spill. "I thought you were back in our world but when I went back you weren't there and I don't know where Yui is either! I've been so scared, Sakura-chan! I needed you so much these days... so, so much!"

_"Gomen, onee-chan. I didn't know where to look for you! I thought I would never see you again too,"_ Sakura said, feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden. _"But I've been here and Genrou and Koji have been taking care of me."_

Genrou observed their interaction with nothing but surprise. He couldn't understand what the gestures Sakura was making meant, yet somehow he knew she was a friend of the Priestess. Even though it was selfish, he felt bad that she had found someone she knew.

Would she leave? He didn't want her to leave, not when he had just gotten used to having her around.

"Ya guys know each other?" Koji had the guts to voice the question he couldn't.

They looked back at them, suddenly remembering they weren't alone. "Sakura and I are twin sisters. We got separated when we came through the Shijin Tenchisho three months ago. I thought I had lost her..." Miaka answered as she smiled at Sakura with a mix of happiness and relief.

"Twins? Ya don't even look remotely alike," Genrou muttered under his breath.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothin', nothin'."

"Do you want another close-up with my fist?"

"No! Dear Suzaku, this is exactly why I hate women!"

* * *

><p>The four were sitting in a circle as they explained to Miaka the situation in which Genrou was in.<p>

"Really? You mean, you were supposed to be the boss?" Miaka asked, bubbling with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, that's it," Genrou answered.

"Then the old boss died 'bout five months ago n' Genrou wasn't around... Eiken jumped at the chance t' take over n' made 'imself boss," Koji said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "The old boss cared about 'im until his very last breath..."

_"That's why we need to help Genrou take down Eikens and getting back his rightful place as leader,"_ Sakura chirped in silently.

They all stayed in silence for a few moments. Then, Miaka seemed to make an important decision.

"Alright! I'm going to help you!" The three of them looked at her funny. "Well, why not? You will get it back! And I still need to help Hotohori and Nuriko."

"Hey, listen here..."

"Oh it's no problem at all! Don't even mention it! Since I'm helping you out, if we succeed you can help me find Tasuki instead, okay?"

"I didn't say..."

"Now that's settled, let's go! Sakura! Genrou! Koji!" Miaka cried out, bumping her fist in the air.

The three friends sweat-dropped, shaking their heads simultaneously.

_Well there's Miaka for you; never misses an opportunity to do something impulsive instead of using her brains - if she has any_.

"She doesn't understand she's a hostage, does she?" Koji smiled.

Genrou shoke his head, "no, I don't think so."

* * *

><p>"Listen! Don't let yer guard down fer one minute. Genrou's most likely t' strike in the middle o' the night. Stay on yer toes, men!"<p>

"Hai!"

"Yeah!" Miaka joined in.

Genrou slapped her in the back of her head. "Who side are ya on after all?" He glared daggers at the hideout from behind the bushes they were hiding in. "Tsk! Look at 'em; doing what that bastard tells 'em to do. Idiots!"

Sakura frowned, silently agreeing with Genrou. She understood how difficult it was for him to watch all of his supposed to be friends turn their backs on him – their rightful leader, their brother most of all.

"Sissies, that's what they are! They only follow his orders 'cause they're afraid o' the old boss's Tessen," Koji spit through gritted teeth.

"What? They're afraid of a paper fan?" Miaka raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"Not like that, it's a Tessen made o' solid iron. Didn't ya see 'im wavin' it around?" Genrou explained.

_"It has an enchantment to throw flames," _Sakura chirped in. _"Made especially t' burn enemies into ashes." _

Genrou took out his genjitsu papers and stared at them intently. Curious as ever, Miaka asked him about it. He told her it had been a gift from a traveler Taoist and that they would create an illusion from whatever it was written in them. She took the opportunity and stole them from Genrou. Sakura frowned at her sister when she turned around to write something on the genjitsu.

If she knew Miaka, nothing good would come out of her choice of illusions. It would probably be food.

"Come on, this way," Koji called out.

After Miaka handed back the talismans, they crawled out of the bushes after Koji.

Suddenly, there was a sword held against Genrou's neck.

"You bastard, I've been looking all over for you!" A beautiful man, accompanied by another one, hissed angrily, "what have you done with Miaka?"

Miaka crawled out right after. She grinned, relieved to see her two companions safe and sound. "Hotohori! Nuriko! You're alright!"

"Miaka!"

Sakura made her way next to Miaka, staring at the older boys with a puzzled expression. One of them, the one who had the sword against Genrou's neck, seemed to carry himself with a royal and distinctively elegant posture, which probably meant he had been born in a higher class environment. He was regally beautiful as well, Sakura noted, with long and smooth looking brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. His companion was almost more beautiful than him, although he could've easily passed by a woman because of the softness of his facial traits. He had purple hair, perfectly pulled into a braid that came down to right about his hips, and bronze eyes that, Sakura thought, hid a big heart and a mischievous nature.

They were staring at her too, the regal boy momentarily forgetting about the bandit fuming in his hold. She blushed under their curiosity.

"This is my sister, Sakura!" Miaka grinned excitedly, swinging a reassuring arm over said one's shoulders.

Their eyes almost bugged out.

"I thought you had lost your sister, Miaka," Nuriko said after finding back his voice as he let Koji free from the death grip on his throat.

"I thought I did too!" Miaka pulled Sakura closer and gestured to the two silently watching bandits. "But then I found her here, and it was all thanks to them."

"Really?" Hotohori asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously at Genrou who more than promptly glared back, finding his away to Sakura's side protectively. It seemed he'd done something right, because the emperor nodded his head approvingly and then shifted to her with a gracious, yet breath-taking smile. "I'm honored to meet Miaka's sister..." Sakura blushed furiously and he felt compelled to chuckle at her adorable embarrassment. "Do you find yourself speechless before my beauty?"

Everyone sweat-dropped, even Sakura as her timid nature completely faded away.

"Sakura can't talk, ya moron!" Genrou snapped heatedly, keeping his glare.

"Oh," both Nuriko and a forlorn Hotohori blurted. Sakura just shoke her head, meaning it was alright.

Koji, who had been surveying the entrance of the hideout, sighed impatiently. "Are y'all done with the introductions? We gotta go now while there's no one at the gates."

Getting the hint, the group moved into the building lead by Genrou and Koji, who knew the place like the back of their hands. They halted just before rounding a corner to the main lobby – the thieves were just up ahead.

"I think I understand..." Hotohori said when Miaka finished telling him their plan, "but are you sure you want to help them, Miaka?"

Miaka nodded. "Yes. We need to find Tasuki and I'm not letting Sakura alone with them. It's too dangerous."

Sakura scoffed inwardly. She had been living alone with one of them for the past four months, the one who disliked girls for that matter. The two of them had bathed together. She had cooked for him, not burning down the house in the process by a slim chance. She had sucked out the poison of his fatal wound and taken care of him throughout the next days.

Sakura felt like there was absolutely nothing dangerous that she couldn't face by herself at the moment.

They suddenly heard Hotohori screaming. Sakura had to fight the laughter when she noticed the boy clinging to the beautiful emperor and staring at him with something akin to adoration.

Unfortunately, the scream caught the other men's attention and they were quick to find them.

"Shibata!"

Genrou stepped in front of Sakura protectively, a cruel grin tugging on the corner of his lips.

"Leave 'em t' me. Come forward, wolves!" He threw the genjitsu, summoning its shadow demons. To his surprise (but not to Sakura's), the papers instead turned into a bunch of cakes, chips, misou soup and other different sorts of food. "What the hell's all this stuff?"

"Miaka!" Nuriko scowled with his hands on his hips.

"Ya did this?"

"Ah ah... maybe..." Miaka said, scratching the back of her head.

"Watch out!"

Eikens jumped from behind the other men and waved the iron fan in his fat hand. The blazing fire reached for them. Genrou's first instinct was to gather Sakura in his arms and flip them around so that his back would keep her away from the flames.

"Welcome back, Genrou," Eikens all but spat disdainfully. More than fifty men drew their swords and daggers behind him, looking like they didn't really want to fight Genrou but had to because of their leader. "Aren't the wolves gonna come out this time?"

Hothori and Nuriko stared at the bandits with a helpless feeling on the bottom of their stomachs. They couldn't fight them. Tasuki could be amongst them.

"Dammit! Do we have t' fight our own?" Genrou clenched his jaw, angry that he was being forced to go up against his friends as if they were enemies. They were all clearly scared of Eikens, he knew that, but they were supposed to be thieves and not scared boys.

"That's the problem!" Koji muttered through gritted teeth as well on the other side of Sakura.

Miaka, acting as impulsively as she always did, ran towards the bandits with the intention of grabbing the Tessen away from him. "Give it back! This belongs to Genrou!"

"No, Miaka, get back here!" Hotohori called out.

Albeit brave, Miaka's action was also stupid. She was now Eikens' hostage. Sakura wriggled to get free from Genrou's grip, but he would bulge.

"_Miaka!_"

Then it happened. When she reached out with her left hand the wind suddenly picked up and it blew the fan off of Eikens' grasp. And there, on her forearm, the character for _'Wind'_ was glowing with a bright and warm red light – the undeniable proof that she was one of Suzaku's eight Warriors.

The others stared in awe.

"You call yourselves men?" A strange voice said accusingly. It was a boy – an illusion from one of the genjitsu, Sakura noticed. His hair was of a dark shade of aqua and he had beautiful slanted eyes, grey pools of a deep and caring passion that warmed her heart for some reason, almost as if she was seeing the real person and not just the mere mirage.

He was quick to act and push the bandits away from Miaka, knocking them all down with relative easiness. She desperately tried to touch him but he slowly faded away, back to its original form.

Sakura finally broke free from Genrou, who had taken the chance to retrieve his Tessen back, and ran to her sister. Miaka was kneeling down, gripping the talisman close to her heart, crying and softly sobbing the name _'Tamahome'_.

She had never seen Miaka so sad in their entire fifteen years.

* * *

><p>Later, the bandits felt like they should apologize for the way they had treated the Priestess and her warriors. Their apologies were graciously accepted, of course. So Miaka grasped the opportunity and decided to ask them about the one they'd been looking for.<p>

"Please, is there anyone in here by the name of Tasuki?" She asked. "If so, I would like for him to come with me."

The men exchanged impressions amongst them. All with the same negative answers.

"I know him," Genrou suddenly blurted out catching everyone by surprise, especially Sakura. "Tasuki was our old Boss, which means... he's not with us anymore."

Miaka's face fell, dread creeping over her aching chest. If they didn't gather all the seven remaining warriors then Tamahome wouldn't come back to the palace – to her.

"Oh no... what do we do now?" She muttered to herself sadly.

"Oi, Genrou, why won't we go pay a visit to the old boss's grave?" Genrou nodded, guiding them to their chief's tomb.

Sakura wanted to walk with him, because she could sense his tension. Yet, it seemed that, since the mark of Suzaku had appeared on her arm, he had been avoiding even looking at her.

It was dark once they went inside, the stone built walls illuminated only by faint torches the men had brought with them. At the center of the room there was a pine woodened coffin. Genrou promptly went to it, putting a loving hand on top of it. The sorrow that took over his face made Sakura's heart clench for him.

"Okashira..." He sighed.

Nuriko noticed Miaka's worry and turned back to the emperor, "what can we do without Tasuki, Hotohori-sama?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do... but we can't bring a dead to live," Hothori grimly answered.

Like a ray of hope shining over the path of the warriors, one of the bandits said, "oi, boss, I heard somethin'. In Choukou, to the north, lives someone who can awaken the dead."

"What?" Miaka grabbed the men by the collar. "Are you serious?"

"Er... it was just a rumor..."

"It doesn't matter, I'm going to Choukou!" Sakura scowled at her sister's impulsive resolve. If it was just a rumor, it was probably not even worth checking it out. "Don't look at me like that, imotto-chan. I would climb to Heaven with only 1% of chance. I need to keep trying! But before we go... a bowl of rice, please!"

The bandits and her friends sweat-dropped.

_Always thinking with her stomach, _Sakura thought amusedly.

* * *

><p>Sakura was sitting by the window in the kitchen, back at the hideout. The group was eating with the bandits, but she wasn't hungry or in the mood to join their pleasantry. Her orange haired bandit was nowhere to be found and it was beginning to unnerve her. Those would be the last minutes she would be spending there and she would like to spend them with him before leaving to fulfill her duty as a warrior.<p>

A silent sigh made its way out of her frowning lips. Maybe he was mad at her, or maybe he just didn't want to see her. He was probably somewhere celebrating the fact that he was going to get ridden of her, Sakura smiled sadly.

"He's at the lake, ya know?" Koji came up behind her and dropped his hands over her slim shoulders, immediately warming them up. She fixed him with a puzzled look. "I mean Genrou, he went down to the lake. Ya wanna see him, don'tcha?" Sakura quirked an eyebrow, silently asking. "Oh please! It's so obvious. Yer just sittin' here, lookin' out the window t' see if or when he's comin' back. Well now ya know so go on and get to 'im."

Sakura flashed him a dazzling grin and nodded, jumping up and leaving.

Koji was right; there he was. He had his brows furrowed and his jaw tense as he threw little pebbles at the water with maybe more force than necessary. His whole posture seemed to scream frustration, which made her hesitated for a moment.

On the other hand, Genrou had already noticed her presence in the clearing. Even if light, he would recognize her footsteps anywhere.

"Ya here t' say goodbye? I guess now that ya found yer sister ya don't need me t' look out fer ya no more, do ya?" Sakura was at a loss of words before the bitterness and resentment in his voice. "After all this time... yer actually goin' away... away from me, ya know? Don't know whether to be relieved or mad!" He chuckled though with no humor and rubbed his face too roughly, then closing his fists tightly by his sides. "Dammit, Sakura! I know I can't ask ya t' stay 'cause you gotta protect Miaka... she's not just the priestess, she's yer sister and ya gotta go... but I don't want you to!"

_He doesn't want me to leave,_ Sakura thought torn between happy and sad, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. H_e wants me to stay with him!_

Sakura quickly closed the distance between them and she threw her arms around his waist, burying her face into his broad back. She didn't want to leave either. Even though she didn't fully understand the exact extent of her feelings, Sakura knew deep in her heart that all she wanted was to be by his side.

Genrou closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. The feeling of her small frame against him gave him such strange peace, such odd satisfaction. As he turned around in the embrace, he cupped her face between his rough hands and stared deeply into her big and bottomless lavender eyes.

"You gonna miss me, Sakura?" She nodded softly, returning his gaze just as fiercely. "Then promise ya won't forget me."

_"I promise, Genrou. I could never forget you, even if I wanted to,"_ she mouthed.

Following his instincts for once without questioning them, Genrou took off one of his beaded necklaces and put it around Sakura's. She brought a hand to the colorful beads, touching it lovingly like her most precious treasure, before looking back up at him, moved.

"I'm gonna find ya someday, 'kay? T' make sure you kept yer promise... I swear we'll see each other again, Sakura."

They joined their foreheads, their noses tenderly rubbing against one another in an almost innocent manner. Sakura wanted him to kiss her, but she knew deep down inside that he wouldn't do it. She might've been the only exception to his hatred for women, but that didn't mean he would like her like that, only that he saw her as a friend – a special friend, though.

For now though, it was enough for her.

For now, the only thing she truly wished for was to stay in his arms forever.

* * *

><p>So cute, right? Ah ah :D<p>

Love, Moon Princess.


	6. This Feeling

Disclaimer: Sadly, Idon't own Fushigi Yuugi or any characters, not even Tasuki.

* * *

><p>Hi, everyone!<p>

I know you all probably want to kill me for keeping you waiting this long! I mean it's almost like I was waiting for 2013 to finally make a reappearace, uh? xD I'm feeling rather dramatic nowadays ah ah

Well, I hope you find the wait worthy and enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I think romantic scenes are my most favourite, go figure xD

Anyway, thank you everyone and good chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: "How I fell in love with your silence"<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"Gestures, In Love, Are Incomparably More Attractive, Effective And Valuable Than Words."_

- François Rabelais.

ooo

**Chapter 6:**

"Bye-bye, everyone! Take care!"

Miaka waved energetically as she rode Hotohori's horse in front of him, like so many times before. In turn, Sakura was riding with Nuriko, and anyone could easily read her sadness. She sat with her head down, her shoulders sagging dejectedly, her eyes gleaming with tears that she was desperately trying to hold back from rolling down her forlorn face.

Uphill, Genrou was staring after them with his men not far behind. There was a horrible heaviness in his heart as he followed Sakura's small figure until she disappeared from his sight with hands balling into fists so tightly closed that his knuckles had gone white.

He couldn't believe that she really was leaving, even after everything the two of them had lived together, after all the trouble she had put him through and all of the headaches and sleepless nights she had given him. Now who was going to smack him in the head to keep him in a straight line and away from the sake? When he would get home who was going to welcome him with a smile, one of those dazzling ones she used to always have in store for him? Worst of it all, who was going to take care of her in his place? Would it be that womanly looking guy? Well that was no good, he stroke him as the womanizer type who'd get anything and everything he wanted. The other one wasn't better either, he was too scrawny, he wouldn't save her from any bad willed men.

_Bah, kuso!_ Questions like those were going to make him lose his mind if Sakura's absence didn't.

Koji came up to his side. "Weird seein' 'er go like that, ain't it?" He asked knowingly.

"Hnf."

"You could go with 'em, ya know…"

"What the hell ya talkin' about, ya crazy knucklehead?" Genrou clenched his jaw and turned his back on the now empty trail down the mountain. "I'm the boss. I gotta stay 'ere an' keep ya'll in line."

Koji frowned. "But what 'bout Sakura-chan?"

"Sakura got 'er sister back, she don't need me anymore."

"That ain't true an' ya know it! Sakura needs someone t' look after her no matter what, an' even if she doesn't you do – you need 'er."

"The hell I do! I don't need no woman! I told ya a thousand times, Koji, women are nothin' but trouble."

"Sakura's different, she means somethin' fer me an' fer ya too."

Genrou walked past him and past the group without giving him a straight answer, just mumbling incoherently under his raged breath and gesturing wildly to no one, like a mad man.

_Thickhead_. Koji snorted, shaking his head at his retreating form. He knew exactly what Sakura meant for him, or at least that she meant something important, he was just being stubborn. It was his most annoying and frustration trait, amongst several other of course, but Koji had grown up with him and he'd learned a thing or two about how Genrou worked. His first was denial, followed by a brief period of mood swings and depression in which he would lock himself in his room going over it over and over in his head. Then, he would finally have the courage to make the right decision.

Koji only hoped it wouldn't be too late by then.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Sakura struggled internally to drowse off her sister's incessant ranting. Not that it was annoying, well not more than usual that is. She was just too depressed to pay attention as her mind was plagued by Genrou and the life she was leaving behind.<p>

She wondered if he was missing her already. _Of course he's not!_ It had been less than a day since they'd gone their separate ways, Sakura felt silly to even consider that Genrou would be missing her after such a short period of time. His hands were full now, he was the leader of the guild, and, as much as it cost her to admit, that was how it was all supposed to be. They were both where they should be… right?

She sighed dejectedly, bringing a hand to the necklace hanging loosely against her chest. The colorful beads seemed to come to life, warming up with her touch and it brought her a tiny speckle of a smile for a second.

Miaka glanced back at her little sister when she stopped nodding. Her previous enthusiasm withered as she noticed her gloomy looks. Maybe it was selfish of her to expect Sakura to be a bit happier with the two of them being reunited again or to at least feel thrilled with the idea of an adventure. It could only be selfish, she decided, but Miaka never though Sakura would feel so blue to be leaving Mount Leikaku.

As she glimpsed the string Sakura was playing with her fingers, Miaka figured it out. Her baby sister was in love, in love with Genrou. An odd choice because Miaka couldn't begin to understand what Sakura saw in the rude, grumpy, obnoxious and loudmouthed bandit, but she was definitely head over heels for him. Miaka recognized the love sick symptoms that she too was struck with since Tamahome had left to Kuto.

It was ironic, Miaka mused. A while ago, not long at all really, Miaka had asked her sister if she ever wondered if she would fall in love and Sakura, putting on a solemn face, had said she would never fall in love, not when love brought nothing but heartache and sorrow. And yet, it seemed that her heart had been taken against her will, stolen by a true bandit.

* * *

><p>Later that day, they set camp by a creek in a small clearing. The sun was beginning to set and Hotohori and Nuriko were afraid of being raided by bandits that wouldn't be as honorable as the last group. They figured because the clearing was well hidden by the threes around it, this was the best place.<p>

Sakura helped Hotohori look for some wood and make a nice fire to keep them warm against the slightly chilly breeze. Then she sat under a tree, leaning back against its thick trunk. She hummed an old traditional tune in her head, pulling her hair over her shoulder, running her fingers through the tiny knots, trying to ease them.

"Are you hungry, Sakura-chan?" Nuriko's question startled her when he sat down next to her with a bowl extended towards her. He wasn't happy when she turned down the offer, but didn't argue back, putting it away. He noticed her struggling against her hair knots and smiled. "Do you mind if I do it? I've been dying to get my hands on your hair since we met," he offered.

Sakura shot him a grateful look. _"Thank you so much!"_

He chuckled and gestured for her to move in front of him. He threaded his long and elegant fingers through her soft tresses, surprised by how close to silk they nearly felt. Part of him expected it to be course or at least slightly unruly, like Miaka's. It was pleasantly surprising and Nuriko found himself closing his eyes at the smooth texture, an action copied by Sakura.

"You're sad, aren't you?" He asked, making her turn to him abruptly wide eyed. Nuriko smiled. "It doesn't take a genius to notice, you know? And I'm very intuitive when it comes to these things. I bet it's because of that loudmouthed idiot, am I right?" Sakura's blazing cheeks were answer enough. "Ah, I knew right away. Does he know how you feel?"

"_Oh no."_ Sakura shoke her head. _"Genrou can never know… he hates women."_

Nuriko snorted. "Trust me on this: he definitely doesn't hate you."

"_It doesn't matter now anyway."_

"It always matters what your heart feels, Sakura-chan. Always."

"_But I'm never going to see him again!"_

"Well thinking like that you won't for sure," Nuriko replied, beginning to braid the hair into two braids. "Do you know the story of Zhinu and Niulang? It's an ancient tale that my mother used to tell me and my sister when we were little. Niulang was but a mortal farmer who took care of an old ox all by himself in a mountain. One day, the ox reveals Niulang that he is a god and that, for taking so good care of him, he should go to the hot springs nearby where seven fairies were currently bathing. When he did, Niulang and the youngest, most beautiful of the fairies, Zhinu, fell in love. But it was a forbidden passion for Zhinu's mother, Empress of Heaven, didn't want her daughter with a mortal, so she rose a river in the sky to separate the two. After years of sorrow and pain from being apart, the magpies took pity on the lovers and each year they created a bridge between heaven and earth, a bridge that would allow Niulang and Zhinu to be together, even if only once a year."

Sakura, who had been listening closely, deeply enthralled by the lovely tale, smiled for the first time since they had left Leikaku.

"_That's beautiful, Nuriko-san,"_ she said.

"I knew you'd like it." He joined the two braids and united them in a single one, using the rest of the hair that was loose. Then he turned Sakura around, looking at her with gentle eyes, and put the hairpiece Genrou had given her as a gift just above her ear, holding her hair in a little twist. "What I meant with the story is that when two people are destined to be together, Sakura-chan, then there's nothing, not even the gods, that can prevent it. You just gotta have faith, in him… and in yourself."

She grabbed at the beaded necklace again and it heated up like last time. Maybe that was a sign. Maybe Nuriko was right, and if faith was all it took, she would gather all that she had and would pray to the gods, Suzaku especially, that her and Genrou's paths would cross once more.

Nuriko smiled lovingly, leaning in to kiss her forehead before getting up.

"Good night, Sakura. Try to get some sleep."

* * *

><p>(<strong>AN:** I know in the series they never did camp after leaving Mt. Leikaku and they got to Choukou really fast but I'm changing the plot a little because I wanna play with Sakura and Genrou's feelings a bit more. I mean one day wouldn't be enough for them to miss each other all that much, would it? ;p)

It took them three days and two more nights until they finally stepped into Choukou, and what they were met with was the last thing they were expecting.

The village was in terrible shape, literally crumbling to pieces. The villagers' small huts hadn't been painted or tended to in a long time, the windows were nearly all shattered, flowerbeds had withered and shriveled. What had once certainly been a beautiful rustic scenery and a place of happiness and joy, was now nothing but a decrepit shadow, peeling off every remaining of a long lost time of prosperity.

Sakura jumped with the cawing of a flock of crows perched in a tree behind them. Nuriko, who seemed to have taken her under his wing, shoved her protectively behind him, not liking the situation even a little. His frown hardened into a scowl when a man pushed hurriedly past them while pushing a carriage with another man lying limp. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wrong, not with the brown sheet covering him almost entirely.

"Don't look, Sakura-chan," Nuriko whispered as she gasped and gripped his arm tighter.

"What deplorable conditions," Hotohori muttered, deeply upset by the village.

Nuriko agreed silently, pulling out the small pocket mirror Taiitsukun had given them, inspecting it closely. The mirror suddenly glowed red. "Miaka, look at the mirror!" He called. Miaka grabbed the mirror out of his hand and stared at the character gleaming.

"_Heal_. One of the eight is here!" She beamed. "Maybe it's the one who brings the dead to life... Yeah! Two birds with a single stone!" In her crazy and enthusiastic outburst, Miaka elbowed a woman's stomach, who had approached the group out of curiosity. She gasped with eyes wide in worry, crouching down in front of her to find out if she was alright. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yes... I'm sorry, I was a little distracted," she said with a small voice and a gentle smile.

"Are you sure you're alright? Didn't you get hurt?" Nuriko asked politely, Sakura peaking around his taller frame at the gentle woman.

"No, no."

"This happens all the time, I'm afraid... when Miaka gets excited she starts acting like a little kid."

The woman shoke her hands in the air dismissingly. "Oh, that's not true. Your daughter is adorable."

Sakura snorted, nearly breaking into full laughter at her friend's scrunched nose. "You're wrong-"

Miaka cut him off by throwing herself at the poor woman, groping her chest without a speck of modesty. She winced back clearly startled, not to mention embarrassed, and Sakura had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

_Miaka can be so weird_, she giggled.

"Miaka!" Hotohori scowled reprovingly.

"But I've already been fooled twice. I only wanted to make sure she was really a woman this time," she said, raising her hands in defeat.

As to redeem herself for her thoughtless actions, Miaka ended up offering to carry her in her back. They took Shouka, who had offered her name with another heartwarming smile, to where she was heading before getting roughed up by Miaka. At a little, but slightly better looking, hut, they were received by a troubled old man, quick and hasty to invite them in.

They watched amazed and mouth agape as Shouka took a kneel next to the bed where a dead man rested. She leaned in, touching his icy-cold purple lips softly with hers, a simple feathery caress, and then the man open his eyes, drawing a deep starving breath.

Sakura was in shock. _He's alive! _

"Amazing." Nuriko and Hotohori chorused in the same dumbstruck state as Sakura.

"For far too many months now," the old man begun, "we have been plagued by a mysterious illness. It produces long blistering fevers that are more painful than death itself... the people say it's the work of a demon called Shikkonki. Our doctors have been unable to find a cure. Although Shouka-san can't cure the disease, she's able to bring the dead back to life. They aren't as healthy as before, but people prefer to die quickly and be revived than live with the pain of the disease."

"How great, Miaka..." Nuriko smiled broadly. "Now we should ask her to-"

Miaka had beaten him to the punch already, all but cornering Shouka against a wall. "Shouka-san! Will you please come with me? We have someone we need you to bring back to life."

"I-I'm sorry, I would really love to come, but it is impossible for me to leave this village..." Shouka's casted her eyes down, looking forlorn. "I can't leave these people, nor the village. I lose my ability once I set foot outside its limits."

"Alright, then we'll bring Tasuki here. I'll ask Gen-chan and the others to bring the coffin here."

Sakura's heart jolted at the mention of Genrou. They had barely left the mountain, she was only beginning to get used to the idea of being away and never seeing him. And now they were going back, so that she could be tortured a little more? Her heart would not bear to be with him for fleeting moment only to follow separate parts again.

There was a pounding in her head, a pressure as if she being squeezed by cymbals. Her eyesight was fuzzy, spotted, and her heart picking up its pace at an alarming speed. She felt heavy... was it just her, or was the floor spinning?

It was warm, too warm. With that last thought, Sakura fell limp on the ground.

"Sakura!" Miaka ran to her sister, the others in toll. She reached her forehead – she was burning up! "Hotohori! Nuriko! She's burning with fever!"

"Oh, Sakura-chan…" Nuriko raised the feverish Sakura, sitting her up against his knee, touching her cheeks gingerly and feeling them blazing against his lukewarm palms.

Shouka walked over and scrutinized her flushed face and quivering frame. "We should take her to my house. I believe she has caught the plague," she said gravely.

Hotohori insisted on carrying Sakura to Shouka's place. He hadn't interacted with her like Nuriko did and, to be fair, it might've been his fault because he was always too focused on Miaka. But Sakura was Miaka's sister, their fellow companion warrior and most of all she struck him as a sweet gentle soul, beautiful and kind hearted.

He laid her on a bed at Shouka's indication, the action stirring her awake. She blinked slowly, peering at him through heavy eyelids, smiling to comfort him. Hotohori couldn't help to find it ironic; she was comforting him when she was the one in pain. Nuriko broke past him, ignoring his momentary glare, taking a hold of her tiny hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Sakura offered a subtle nod that didn't convince him at all. "We think you might have contracted the plague…"

Sakura pursed her lips. _"I can take it."_

"Oh Sakura, it's my fault! I shouldn't have brought you here!" Miaka wailed, clinging to her other hand for dear life.

"_Don't be silly, one-chan. It's no one's fault." _Sakura faced her with a fierce determination. _"I'll stay here and you go back to Mt. Leikaku and get the fifth warrior."_

"No!"

It came from the three of them, startling both Sakura and the silent Shouka who was standing in the back of the room, trying to stay out of it. Sakura tilted her chin up stubbornly.

"_You must!"_

"Sakura-san, we're not leaving you here alone," Hotohori argued.

Nuriko nodded. "We'll wait until you get better."

"_What if it takes too long?"_ She furrowed her brows. _"What if I don't get better at all?"_

"Please don't say stuff like-"

Sakura cut her sister off with a hand. _"You know it's true. There's a chance I don't come off of this, but I don't want to be a burden. You need to get Tasuki to bring Tamahome back to you."_

Miaka couldn't find her voice to give a proper answer, not deep down her heart was screaming that with all its strength. Still, she shoke her head.

"Imotto-chan…"

"_Please!"_ She pinned Miaka with puppy dog eyes, stripping her naked of her resolve. _"Shouka-san will look after me while you're gone. I promise not to go anywhere without you."_

Miaka heaved a defeated sigh. "Okay, I will – for you," she decided.

"Miaka!" Nuriko faced her with disapproval, his grip on Sakura tightening.

Hotohori touched his companion's shoulder. "Are you sure, Miaka? It's a four day journey."

"I know, but… it's what she wants… I owe her that."

"Well, I'm against it so I'm not going anywhere." To make his point valid, Nuriko sat down beside Sakura on the bed. She cleared her throat, looking pointedly at him. He shrugged. "What? Don't look at me like that, I told you I'm not going."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe she convinced me like this," Nuriko grumbled for the hundredth time since they'd set off from Choukou.<p>

Miaka showed a hint of a smile. "Sakura is very persuasive, you should see what she made onii-chan do when we were younger."

"Yeah well, I don't like being persuaded. I'd much rather do the persuasion."

"That is certainly obvious," Hotohori remarked jokingly.

Nuriko threw him a half annoyed, half amused look but then a shiver went down his spine. The horses neighed uncomfortably as they strode through the dark pathways of an old graveyard. There wasn't a sound around them, not a mouse scattering amongst the cold stone graves, or a bird perched in a bare tree.

"This is a cemetery," he muttered.

"We took the wrong direction," Hotohori said worriedly. "It's safer if we return to the village."

Miaka raised her fist, seeing as she couldn't stomp her foot. "There's no time! We need to get Tasuki there the fastest we can, I told Sakura we wouldn't return without him."

A hand burst from the ground and gripped Nuriko's horse leg, tripping it over with him still on top. He was fast, escaping easily but his horse was swallowed by the sands. Something else brought Miaka and Hotohori's white steed down. The noble animal was lucky enough to run off before further injury. That's when the party really began. Dead corpses rose from their graves, decomposing, shedding, like reptiles, whatever remained of their skin, nothing but bones, missing limps or eyes. They cried for meat.

Hotohori protected Miaka by cutting through them with his sword while Nuriko lunged a large thick trunk towards the corpses. One of them brought him down by the ankle and he fell hard on his shoulder blade.

"Nuriko!" Hotohori was caught in a strangling headlock by another one. "Miaka! Run, Miaka!"

But she was surrounded; there was no way out. She was going to die, and in a graveyard, killed by dead people. _Well talk about irony!_ Miaka chuckled sarcastically, but her mind was only on one thing – Sakura.

Sakura would be so sad.

"LEKKA SHIEN!" A trail of blazing flames scorched the zombies before they reached Miaka. She looked up at the hill, at a lean figure shadowed by the dark until a burst of moonlight peeked through the clouds, casting over a tuff of rebellious flaming red hair. "I knew somethin' like this would happen."

Miaka was suddenly filled with a new ray of hope. "Gen-chan!"

"I'll take care o' 'em in a second. Stay down!" They jumped into the dirt as Genrou flickered the iron tessen, burning all the zombies into ashes. The graveyard was met with silence again, swimming with mist. "Y' know... I wasn't gonna come. But I figured ya'd need some extra protection n' I know none o' ya can throw fire."

"What about your gang?"

"Tsk! Koji pratically kicked me outta door. We decided t' make him the new leader. I'm sure the old boss would've approved it." He walked to them and came to the kneel in front of Miaka as he rolled his right sleeve up and showed them the burning red character for _wind_. "You idiots haven't figured it out yet? Genrou's my nickname. I'm Tasuki. Sorry I tricked ya."

"Ahhh why didn't you say it before, pea brain?!" Nuriko cried out decided between feeling happy to have finally met the sixth warrior and angry that he had tricked them.

"Damn you, look at what you've put us through!"

Genrou smirked, hardly apologetic, but he quickly dropped it. There were only three of them. "Where the hell's Sakura?"

"Back in Choukou. She fell ill with the plague..."

"Ill? With a freakin' plague?!" Miaka winced from the now fuming bandit. "You were goin' back without 'er? How couldya?!"

Nuriko tried to get a hold of his temper, but he was finding it rather difficult. "Hey pal, we didn't like it either but you try telling it to that stubborn minx!" He argued, getting close, inches apart, to his face.

Genrou growled from the depths of his throat. "Get outta my face an' take me to 'er now!"

They hurried back to the village.

Genrou couldn't breathe, it didn't seem to matter how much air he tried to gulf down, his lungs were just not working right. It was his fault that Sakura had fallen ill. If he had gone with his instinct and begged her not go with Miaka, then she would still be safe at the hideout, with Koji and the men, with him. And he had felt the wrongness of her wellbeing, in the pit of his stomach, or maybe in the bottom of his heart, either were accurate. He had known she needed him, that was one of the reasons for him to have decided to join them – if not the only.

He followed Miaka and the others to Shouka's hut, barging unceremoniously through the door, nearly scaring the woman to death.

"Young man," she started, regarding him suspiciously.

"It's okay, Shouka-san," Hotohori interrupted, "he's with us. Sakura-san is in the next room, Tasuki."

He found her on the bed. Her eyes were shut, as if she were sleeping, though he knew she wasn't by the unsteady raising of her frail chest. Sakura was a profound sleeper and she rarely dreamed; he had asked her once. She was soaked in sweat, her forehead glistering with a thin layer, and she was biting her bottom lip so hard she was beginning to tear the flesh.

"Sakura…?" He moved hesitantly towards her, taking slow and small steps even though his body screamed for him to move faster. Sakura opened her eyes and sat up abruptly, only then he hurried towards her, worried for her health. "Hey hey, not so fast, a'ight?"

Sakura barely heard him as she hugged him and buried her face in his strong solid chest. His scent of cinnamon, sake – she frowned a little a this, she thought he'd stopped that – and firewood filled her. It eased her pain, it was soothing and lulling.

"By Suzaku, how bad are ya? Are ya hurtin', Sakura?" Sakura nodded, gripping the back of his jacket until her knuckles turned white. He touched his cheek against her hair, hugging her back, and closed his eyes. He had missed her hair soft as silk, her long and delicious curls. He had missed her cherry blossoms perfume, embed even in the tip of her fingers. He had missed all of her. "It's okay. It'll be okay. I'm 'ere now, I'll take care o' everythin'." When she gave him no reply, he insisted, "what can I do? Tell me what to do."

Sakura picked her head up "_Don't go away again."_

"I ain't goin' nowhere from now on," he reassured her. "I'm Tasuki, the sixth warrior. I tried t' hide it, even from you, 'cause I never asked fer any o' it an' I hated 'avin' my detiny written by someone else but me. I ain't doin' it no more though, I'm learnin t' accept it."

Sakura stared at him in surprise, and it took her a moment to recover. _"Oh__. Can you, uh, show me your celestial mark?"_ She asked.

Genrou nodded with a smile and rolled his sleeve to show her the glowing red character. Puzzled, he watched as she did the same with her left arm, showed him her own.

"_Wing_ an' _Wind_…" He whispered.

"_Like your story…"_

He pursed his lips in a straight line that made her worry. "It's just a story, it doesn't mean nothin'," he said. The words were like needles in his chest and he didn't know why, and he didn't know why it felt like he was trying to convince himself more than he was her.

Sakura touched his cheek. When he looked up, he found her only inches apart. His traitorous heart gave a leap.

"_I don't care about the story,"_ she told him without braking contact. _"I don't care about what it's written or what's supposed to be. We make our own destiny and nothing can take that away from us."_

Genrou smiled lovingly. Since when his Sakura had been so smart?

"I like that."

She smiled as well. _"So… what do I call you now? Genrou or Tasuki?"_

"Ah ya call me Genrou. That's who I was when we met an' that's who I'm gonna be fer ya. Yer Genrou."

"_My Genrou… I like that."_

He flushed like a tomato and, to hide it, he brought her back to his chest and tumbled back into the cushion. Sakura giggled when he moved to the side and cradled her body against his to keep her warm, safe. The cadence of his heart and sound of his breathing on her face lulled her into sleep, a peaceful slumber.

Only once he was sure she had fallen asleep, he ventured his hand forward and touched his necklace which now belonged to her.

"I ain't leavin' ya again, Sakura, it's a promise."

* * *

><p>So... what did you think?<p>

Love, Moon Princess.


	7. Sadness

Disclaimer**:** Sadly, Idon't own Fushigi Yuugi or any characters, not even Tasuki.

* * *

><p>I'm back, guys! It' took a while but here it is - the so awaited 7th chapter :D<p>

I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, even if some stuff might be a bit too much like the anime this time.

Anyway, good reading!

* * *

><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: "How I fell in love with your silence"<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

_"Being Deeply Loved By Someone Gives You Strength, _

_While Loving Someone Deeply Gives You Courage."_

- Lao Tzu.

ooo

**Chapter 7:**

When the morning came, Miaka, after confiding with Shouka, decided they should take Sakura to the village doctor. She was showing all the symptoms of the plague but they wanted to make sure, and also Sakura had gotten severely worse during the night. Her temperature had gone higher and she was coughing a lot more frequently. They could only imagine what kind of pain she was going through, even if she stubbornly insisted on not showing them.

As they made it to the doctor's hut, however, he seemed to have slightly different plans.

"What do you mean you won't examine her?! Are you really a doctor?!" Miaka flushed, infuriated that the doctor was refusing to even look at Sakura.

"No matter how you put it it's the Shikkonki illness. And there's no cure for it," the old man said evenly as if simply pointing out the nice weather. "Oh wait... Myojuan might be able to cure her."

"Well, where's he now?" Genrou shifted his weight from one foot to another impatiently, tightening his hold on a shivering Sakura. _This is bad_, he frowned. She was already wearing his jacket and a shawl, yet she was still feeling cold as ice.

The doctor thought for a moment. "He left about a year ago to live in the mountains," he said. He got off his chair and unceremoniously threw them all out the door. "Now get lost! I don't wanna catch that damn disease!"

"Yer nothin' but a sheister!"

"Let him be, Tasuki," Hotohori comfort his hot tempered friend. Genrou grumbled under his breath, clenching his jaw, but remained quiet otherwise. "At least we found something. Let's go find that Myojuan."

They climbed a flimsy flight of stairs, heading for the mountains, when a man who was easily carrying two baskets full of fish over his broad shoulders came in sight. As he sped past the group, he dropped a nice and yummy looking fish, immediately catching Miaka's eye. Ever the glutton.

She went for it, and so did the man. "Get your hands off! That's my fish!"

The gruff, slightly intimidating man, glared at Miaka with stone hard brown eyes. He wasn't giving up anytime soon.

Sakura and the others sweat dropped as they watched them fight for the fish, comically rising a cloud of dust.

"She's pickin' up a fight with big guy there 'cause o' one lame trout?" Genrou shoke his head, not only amused but also mildly impressed. He felt Sakura shaking, chuckling against his chest, making him smile involuntarily as well.

_"Onee-chan will fight for food even if she was on the verge of dying!"_

Nuriko laughed. "I hear you, Sakura-chan."

The man came out victorious, running away with the fish. Miaka went after him up the hill and they followed, calling her name. They found a shack at the top, in the end of the trail, with the windows wide open and a beautiful patch of herbs in the front yard.

Miaka put her hands to her mouth and shouted, "you are surrounded! Come out now with my fish! I repeat: you are surrounded! Come out now with my fish!"

There was no answer.

"Let's go take a look," Hotohori offered. They peeked over a windows and found him working on some sort of unguent, and a small white and brown cat with its torso impeccably bandaged, eagerly munching Miaka's trout. The unguent seemed to be medicinal, as did the several pots beside him. "Could it be that this man is the Myojuan we heard about?"

"He might be," Nuriko answered.

Genrou kicked the door open and barged in with Sakura safely held in his arms. "Oi oji-san, are ya that Myojuan guy? If ya are, can ya take a look at 'er?"

"Please, she's very weak." Miaka came up to his side.

Myojuan looked at her. She was breathing with difficulty but fighting to keep it from her friends, her cheeks were flushed and her knuckles white as she held her carrier's jacket. The corners of his eyes softened when he met her lavender gaze and found nothing but a strong willed determination and bravery.

He gulped, struggling to harden his voice and attitude. "I'm not a doctor anymore. Leave now."

"What? But you take care of animals!" Nuriko cried out fiercely.

"I don't care about humans! Now get out of my house!"

"Why you-"

Sakura stopped him mid-sentence, shaking her head. _"It's okay, Genrou. Let's just go."_

Genrou clamped his teeth shut, wishing he could get his hands around his neck and knock him out for refusing to help Sakura. Still, he gave into her request. Outside he lashed out his temper.

"That bastard! How dare he put us outta the house without as much as lookin' at Sakura?! An' you, Sakura, you shoulda let me get 'im! I could've burnt 'im down t' ashes if ye woul've- Oi, Sakura? Sakura!"

Sakura had suddenly gone limp in his arms. Hotohori touched her forehead, jerking it back as he felt it close to boiling.

"She's too warm. We have to take her back quickly."

* * *

><p><em>It hurts! <em>

_It hurts so much!_

Sakura trashed her head wildly against the pillow. Every single bone, muscle and fiber in her body felt like it was on fire. And her chest… it felt like it was being stabbed multiple times. Her throat was aching. Her eyes were hurting. Even her toes were in great deal of pain.

Nuriko was trying to ease some of her strain by soaping the sweat off her forehead as he kept her head over his lap. Miaka was holding her hand close to her face, her eyes were closed, she was praying for her. Hotohori, on the other hand, was standing at a distance, although he was no less worried. He was furrowing his eyebrows, gritting his teeth, clutching his hands. But Genrou, he was concerned beyond his mind.

He knew she was ten thousand times worse than what she was letting them on to. That was what was slowly eating him up. Sakura had a frustrating habit of keeping everything to herself, even when everyone was willing to share her pain and feelings, and if they couldn't figure out the real extent of her state, then they were left with nothing, no ideas, no meanings to help her.

Genrou bit his lip harder.

"Keeping her this way is torture," Hotohori muttered somberly.

"She's not getting any better... I can't even-" Miaka stopped, clenching her fists as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. "She's part of me. There has got to be a way to put an end to this, to save her..."

Shouka walked up to them and brought a hand to Miaka's shoulder. Her face was deathly serious. "There is only one way," she began, "you must kill her immediately. If I bring her back to life right away she'll be able to recover her health again."

"No," Genrou shot back instantaneously.

"Please, there has got to be another way!" Miaka grabbed the older woman's hands pleadingly.

She shoke her head. "I'm afraid there is not."

"We ain't doin' it," Genrou affirmed. Nuriko agreed.

Genrou would never let her die like this, not now and not at the hands of anyone. It mattered little if Shouka brought her back to life afterwards. What if, when she did, what came back wasn't Sakura at all, but a zombie? A shadow of what she had once been? He couldn't bear the thought of Sakura not being his Sakura, the one who would always smile at simplest things in life and make his heart race like an unbridled horse for whatever reason.

A pale hand slowly touched his cheek, a soft feathery caress making his skin tingle pleasantly. Genrou leaned onto her palm, looking up at her to understand what she wanted to tell him.

_"__Do it, Genrou. It's the right thing." _He shoke his head vehemently. It brought a half smile to her choppy lips. _"I know you don't want to, but it'll be easier this way… I'm hurting and I don't think I can handle much longer__...__"_

"No! Don't talk like that! Yer gonna get better!"

"_I won't, don't fool yourself."_

"Damn you, Sakura, stop sayin' that! I ain't doin' it!" He nearly screamed, taking her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. "I can't kill ya 'cause all I wanna do is 'ear ya breathin', feel yer 'eart beatin', see yer eyes shinnin' like stars, lookin' at me with that face when I'm makin' a fool o' myself, which is y'know all the time..." Sakura chuckled faintly. He gripped her harder. "I need you, Sakura…"

Sakura stared at him with eyes brimming with love. _"Genrou…"_

Hotohori couldn't help but to be deeply moved by the two. Not only because of the injustice of it all, but also because he could relate to the bandit's feelings. If Miaka was in that bed right now, he would say exactly the same, he would never put an end to the life of the woman he loved.

_There has got to be another way,_ he mused.

Hotohori touched Genrou's shoulder, this one glancing up from his crouching position near the bed. "Let's go try again with the doctor. This time we will not leave until he gives up, alright?"

Genrou nodded gratefully. Turning back to Sakura, searching, she flashed him a smile. "_I'll wait for you, Genrou...__"_

That was enough for him.

* * *

><p>That night they all went back to see the old man one last time, hoping to change his mind. They found him exactly where they had left him, cross-legged on the floor while sorting through his myriad of medicine pots and boxes. Everything was quiet, the only sound in the small house being the soft purring of a little white cat moving around his form, rubbing against him.<p>

Both the man and his cat jumped when the group burst the door open unceremoniously. As soon as he recognized them though, he all but rolled his eyes, expecting what was coming.

"You again? Give up already-"

"Please save Sakura," Genrou cut off immediately as he fell to his knees in front of the stone-hearted man. "I'm beggin' you, oji-san – please save her!"

Myojuan stared at him befuddled. He could easily tell this was a man who didn't bow for just any simple thing, he carried himself proud and arrogantly – like a born leader. Yet there he was, begging him, all but a humble and good-for-nothing healer, to help that girl, the one with the sharp eyes of a tiger.

His resolve faltered even more when the others followed his action.

Miaka met his gaze, pursing her lips nervously. "Please, she's my baby sister and there's no one else who can heal her. Shouka-san told us she can't do it either-"

He stumbled back. "Did you just say Shouka?"

"Eh...? Yes... uh, we've been staying at Shouka-san's house."

"But that... that's impossible! Shouka died a year ago!"

"What?!" Miaka stomped to the man and gripped him by the collar of his green shirt, "if Shouka is dead, then who the hell is in that house with my imotto?"

Genrou took a hold of his _tessan_ with an enraged snarl. "Who cares? We gotta go back, Sakura's in danger!"

* * *

><p>Back in the village, Sakura had finally fallen asleep after hours of excruciating pain, her exhaustion too much to endure. Shouka grabbed at the opportunity.<p>

She came into the bedroom quietly and nearly inaudibly. She halted by the bed, staring at Sakura's sweaty restless sleeping expression before bringing a cold hand to her hot forehead in a caress. Her strength and resolve was admirable, she found. That courage would prove to be a delicacy, and the love burning inside her heart, the fuel of her vital force, would be even more tasty, even more fulfilling.

Shouka pulled a knife out of her robes and held it over Sakura's chest, ready to plunge it deep. However, something stopped her.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she stared at her with pure innocent eyes, two amethysts which had never wished or wanted for harm to come to anyone in her whole life. Then, there was a light. A blinding red glow that enclosed Sakura's frail frame, wrapping her in a warm wonderful shimmer.

Compelled by something she couldn't quite figure out, Sakura opened her mouth and was surprised when the words she muttered came out like she intended them too. "_Shouka-san?"_ It sounded like an echo and it gave Shouka a fright that made her drop the knife into the floor._ "I'm sorry but I can't allow you to take my life. You see, Genrou would be very mad if I did and I would also make my sister very sad…"_

"Urgh!" Shouka struggled for words.

_"I understand that you can't use your powers unless I'm dead, and I'm in so much pain that I would gladly let you kill me if it would end it all. But I'm not ready to die just yet. There's still a lot I have to do, there are many things I still have to tell to the people I love."_

Her miraculous words full of love and faith hit the right note. Shouka stumbled on her feet as she moved back from Sakura who was now sitting up. She struggled to contain the monster which had devoured almost the entirety of her soul, fighting to keep it away from Sakura.

Shouka crawled into a further corner and curled herself into a ball. Worried and slightly confused, Sakura tiptoed towards her and reached forward to touch her quivering shoulder. Shouka stared wide-eyed at the extended hand, the red glow encircling it reflecting in the blue depths of her eyes.

The door was suddenly burst open to let in growling Genrou yielding the iron _tessan_ ready to attack.

"Get the hell 'way from her, Sakura!" He cried. "The real Shouka died a year ago!"

_Wha..._ Sakura felt something cold and hurtful claw at the crown of her head.

"It's too late, I'm not letting her go now. I will devour her whole, even the bones."

"_What?! My bones?! No don't, you'll get an indigestion!"_

Genrou sucked his breath in. Had he really heard her talk, or was it all just in his head? He ignored it and waved the weapon threateningly. "You let Sakura go right now! I'm gonna kill ya, damn demon!"

"No wait!"

A tall handsome man walked through the doorway with Hotohori, Nuriko and Miaka closely trailing behind him. He balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw at the sight in front of him.

"_Juan-san!_"

The celestial warriors dropped their mouths open in shock, clearly not expecting that one. And they had a point because who, in their right minds, would've known that such a grumpy old-looking geyser was in fact such a handsome young man?

"Shouka... have you been the one who's plagued this disease over our village?" Myojuan questioned angrily. "Have you become a soul-eating demon?"

Shouka snarled just as furiously. Some of her minions tried to sneak in through the window to get them but Hotohori and Nuriko quickly closed it.

"What the hell are those?!" Nuriko cried.

Myojuan closed his eyes, disappointed. "They must be the villagers brought back to life by Shouka. They look alive but, in reality, they're not. Isn't that right, Shouka? Why?"

"How can you ask me that? One year ago I was sick, facing the gates of death. It didn't matter how long I waited, you never came. I waited... and I believed... it hurt, but I waited until the very end..." Shouka's hold on Sakura's head tightened, making her squeal and Genrou move another step closer. "Yet you never came! You have no right to judge me."

_They loved each other_, Sakura thought sadly. Shouka had been dying and she had wanted only for the love of her life to come and save her or at least see her one last time. When he didn't, her heart broke, and she fell a victim of her own desperation and misery, allowing the demon to feed on her negative emotions and take over her body and actions, fooling everyone.

It was awful.

Shouka grabbed her neck. It was too tight, too painful and Sakura was soon short out of breath.

"I will kill this girl first and then... then I'm going to kill you next!"

Genrou acted fast like the wind. He opened the fan and stepped forward to burn both Shouka and the demon possessing her when Sakura stopped him. She surprised everyone by breaking free from Shouka's iron grip and stood between the two of them.

_"Please don't kill Shouka-san!_"

"What're ya talkin' 'bout? She's a frickin' demon!" Genrou yelled angrily while confused, trying to ignore the stubborn racing of his heart at realizing Sakura really had been the one speaking before.

"_No!_" Sakura shook her head."_Shouka-san's not a demon. She came back to find Juan-san and see him again... isn't that true, Shouka-san? You love him with all of your heart, he was your lover, right?_" Shouka's eyes widened, a tiny speckle of humanity igniting inside of them. "_I'm sure it must've cost you a lot to be so far from the one you love for so long and then even when you were nearing death... but you came back because you wanted to see him one more time..."_

Shouka slowly eased back into the kind woman whom they had met previously, the demonic aura fading away. She faced Sakura's lavender soul reading eyes, her heart swelling in its place.

"Oh Sakura-chan..." She lost her balance, Sakura reached out to support her, even if frail and week from her illness. "She's right, Juan... I have been waiting for you. Please... please save me!" A red monster with long sharp fangs and one eye sprouted from her. It lunged straight for Sakura, grabbing her legs and arms with its tentacles, hanging her upside down. "Juan, please use your power to defeat this monster before I am completely destroyed! If you don't, then Sakura-chan..."

"Shouka, you..." Myojuan staggered backwards, hesitating but still sizzling with anger. "This is the demon that hunted you?!"

"I'm sorry!" Shouka cried, tears trailing down her face.

"I've had enough o' this! Yer gonna get yer ass barbequed fer even layin' one filthy tentacle on Sakura!" Genrou ran for the monster, the other two in tail. They failed though as it grabbed them all as well, strangling them like it did to Sakura.

Genrou struggled, the frustration and panic growing inside of his mind. He had to help Sakura, he had to get her to safety. That had been the whole purpose of his decision – he came to protect her.

Shouka cried harder. "Please, Juan, kill me! I'll be free from this demon and everyone will be safe! Hurry... quick, kill me!"

Myojuan clenched his fists. In two quick long strides, he stood in front of Shouka and the demon. He untied a piece of cloth from around his hand which started glowing green as he chanted, "_Dai Juryokku_... _Yoma Messhou_!"

The demon was engulfed, smothered by the glowing light and its warmth, slowly dissipating. With it, everything vanished as well.

The warriors were fell back on the ground with a loud thud, the priestess and Sakura too. Before she crashed with her head, though, Genrou moved quickly and shielded her, catching her in his strong arms. He settled her down against his knee, bringing one hand to the crook of her neck as his eyes scanned across her face, searching, and hoping not to find any, for wounds.

"Thank Suzaku! I thought ya were done fer..." He sighed, holding her close in a tight embrace.

"We all did!" Nuriko added, exhaling in relief with a nodding Hotohori.

Miaka crouched down next to them, touching her face gingerly. _Weird_, she mused, she was still feeling warm. Just as that crossed her mind, Sakura's head fell back loosely and her eyes snapped shut.

"Sakura!" Miaka gasped. "Sakura, hold on!"

Myojuan took the hint and did the same as he had with Shouka. He held his hand over the crown of her head, murmuring the words in his mind, and it glowed green.

"How is she?" Hotohori asked concerned.

"She's fine. All I have to do is absorb what was left of the demon's curse that's inside of her."

Finally, her eyes fluttered open again. The first thing she saw, hovering above her, was the red character for _sadness_ on the palm of his hand that had her bolting up in an instant to grab it. She waved it around frantically, trying to get her friends attention. At least, Miaka understood her.

"Oh! It's Suzaku's mark!" She cried excitedly, taking the hand from Sakura to observe it a little more closely.

Genrou looked at the man with a new found respect. Not only had he saved Sakura – although that was his job to do but he was thankful anyway –, but he was also one of their companions.

"You must be...?" Nuriko trailed off uncertainly.

"My celestial warrior name is Mitsukake. I have the ability to cure, that's why I became a doctor," he told them.

The doctor walked away to the lifeless body of Shouka. They watched as he bid his goodbyes, except for Genrou who just couldn't take one thing off his head.

"Sakura..." Genrou began in a whispered voice, "can... can you talk?"

She bit her lip. _"I did back there, didn't I?"_

He nodded frankly. "Yeah! Yeah you did!" Genrou cupped her cheek in his hand. He knew he hadn't imagined it. "I heard yer voice clear as day! C'mon, try again!"

Sakura opened her mouth and forced her throat to make a noise, any sound at all. It itched, like it always did, yet nothing came out other than a faint moan. When she shook her head sadly, she noticed how disappointed Genrou looked and she couldn't help but to feel like it was her own fault.

She had always been a failure.

_"Gomen, Genrou..."_ Sakura casted her gaze down in shame.

"What?" He snapped out of it, fixing her with a look of surprise and indignation. "What're you talkin' 'bout? You got nothin' to apologize fer." Genrou put a finger under her chin so that she could face him directly. "I just want you t' be happy, I know how much it meant t' ya if you could talk is all."

Sakura broke into a soft and heartwarming smile. _"I'm happy as long as you and Miaka and everyone else stay here with me."_

Genrou chuckled, nodding. He didn't think he had ever felt so relieved in his entire life to have a woman in his arms, nor to feel her heart beating rapidly against his.

* * *

><p>So? What did you think? Please be not afraid of reviewing - cosntructive criticism is always welcome.<p>

Love, Moon Princess.


	8. Almost there, not quite yet

Disclaimer**:** Sadly, Idon't own Fushigi Yuugi or any characters, not even Tasuki.

* * *

><p>Oh my God, I can't believe I've finally updated! I'm so sorry everyone! You have been the best of best, you really have. After all this time you've never stopped giving me great feedback and kept asking me to write more and I'm so happy to have all your support :D My life has been a total and complete mess these days and that's why I've been so late, but it seems like I'm finally piecing it back together.<p>

Thank you, all of you. You're wonderful, there are no words.

And now, enjoy:

* * *

><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: "How I fell in love with your silence"<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

ooo

_"Anger And Jealousy Can No More Bear To Lose Sight _

_Of Their Objects Than Love."_

- George Elliot.

**Chapter 8:**

Sakura tried to sneak a glance over Mitsukake's broad shoulder as he worked with several different herbs and flowers, preparing medicine for future emergencies. It fascinated her how easily and effortlessly he crushed the leaves using some kind of special tool in the shape of a cylinder. His hands were surprisingly gentle in their actions, especially with such a big size.

A piece of her hair accidentally slipped from her and touched him. Mitsukake glanced back at her, finding it funny when she jumped five feet in the air and away from him.

"You'll see better if you sit beside me," he offered with the hint of a smile, resuming the task at hand. She hesitated but quickly gathered herself and took a seat by his right, tucking her legs under her. "These-" he showed her a small white flower, "are Astragalus, they're used to accelerate the healing process; very handy herbs. They have a wonderful scent too, don't they?"

Sakura grinned and nodded. Then she gestured towards the tool he had in his hand.

"It's called a pestle, it's for grinding the herbs together and make them as even and smooth as possible. The bowl it's called a mortar and it prevents the juices from leaking – the juice is the most important part of the medicine. But handling them is not as easy as it looks. Here; grab the handle with your right hand and keep your elbow close to your side." Mitsukake gave her the mortar and the handle, which she took rather gingerly, afraid of messing up his previous hard work. He ignored her nervousness and placed a hand over hers, instructing her into the correct way to grind the rest of the astragalus. When the white of the petals began to fade into the green of the leaves, evening into a semi-liquid paste, he finally moved away and just sat for a moment, watching her curiously. She blushed a little. "You're good at it," he said, clearly pleased, "you know not to use too much force, just enough. Would you be interested to learn my craft?"

"_Seriously? You would really teach me?"_ Sakura couldn't be more surprised, or more excited for that matter.

Mitsukake nodded. "I would love too. You seem like a very promising healer, Sakura-san, it would be my honor."

"You should be concentrating on your fighting skills, not gardening," Genrou quipped as he came around the corner to check up on Sakura.

After nearly a week of journey looking for their final companion, the group had come across an old mill. It was the perfect place to set camp and not get too much attention, so they stopped to take a well-deserved break for a couple days.

Genrou had been constantly on her about training though, and Sakura was getting annoyed. A break was about resting, not fighting. They had been more than okay for the last days, they hadn't ran across nothing dangerous or any bandits, didn't she deserve a little time off?

He scowled at the face she was making. "What the hell that suppose t' mean? I thought we were on the same page here; ya gotta get better!"

"_But I am better!"_ She crossed her arms.

"Not 'nough yer not. Now go get yer boots on an' let's practice."

Sakura whizzed but got off the ground anyway. She shot him a look as she walked by. It should've made him mad, but he only snorted, thinking she was actually kind of cute when she was annoyed.

He stared at her back as she slipped inside the mill to change outfits with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. When he turned around to look for something they could use as a staff, his heart nearly jumped out of place with the intense, yet curious, look Mitsukake was giving him.

"What?" He asked self-consciously.

"It's quite remarkable how easily you understand what she's saying," he pointed out, seemingly nonchalant.

"Nuriko understands her fine too."

"Not like you however," he insisted. "You don't even have to look at her lips anymore, isn't that right?"

Genrou did his best to keep his cheeks from flushing. "I just knew her first, is all!" He turned his back on him and stormed off to a flat piece of dirt no too far from the old mill. It was the perfect place for Sakura to practice her footwork without tripping over rocks or small bumps, although she would always somehow end up stumbling anyway. She was as clumsy as her sister and even more prone to accidents, if possible. When she finally joined him on the makeshift arena, ready to go, Genrou threw her a medium sized branch, the closest thing to a staff he could find. "A'ight – from where we left off last time. Don't forget yer feet."

* * *

><p>The young boy hiding behind a tree found himself unable to tear his eyes from the couple sparring with wooden sticks. Or from the girl to be more precise. He watched as she twirled around the orange haired warrior, gracefully dodging his offense and swinging a hit that nearly struck his shoulder but he had expertly predicted it and ducked quickly.<p>

_Beautiful_. Her long locks, the color of ripe cherries, were slipping from the braid she had pulled them, they fell into her peachy skin, sticking to her lovely heart-shaped face with sweat. She was tired and her breathing came out in raging puffs from her inviting red lips and his attention kept drifting to them. Everything about her was small, delicate, soft, gentle. She was a breathtaking sight – all light and colors, as if her very own existence radiated like the sun, like a beacon.

A sudden lunge she didn't see coming swept her off her feet and threw her to her back. The warrior straddled her tiny form, putting the staff dangerously pressed against her neck. His first impulse was to go and shove him off of her because he easily had the twice of her strength and the twice of her size, not to mention the look on his rough face, a fierce expression of someone dying to take down effectively his opponent. But then he broke into a grin, a grin she matched, and jumped back, letting her go and helping her up as well.

The boy gritted his teeth, his grey eyes flashing with jealousy.

He wanted to make her smile like that. He yearned to touch her skin and feel her hair, to hold her. And if everything went according to planned he might, he would do everything to steal her away from that loud-mouthed orange haired thug.

* * *

><p>After her intense training session with Genrou, Sakura had enjoyed a well-deserved bath with Nuriko and her sister in a nearby spring. The water had been just at the right temperature, not too cold and not too hot either – perfect. It reminded her of the one she used go to with Genrou.<p>

She heaved a sigh as she ran her fingers through her damp hair and glanced up at the star filled sky from her seat on the roof of the mill.

Mount Leikaku, the hideout, Koji… it all seemed like it had been in another lifetime. She would be lying if she said that she didn't miss that part of her life, Koji especially, but she also felt incredibly lucky to have Genrou accompanying her on this journey. Her heart had nearly shattered when she thought she would never see him again, and even now the mere idea of it squeezed as painfully.

A big figure dropped next to her on the roof, startling her for a second. She smiled when she met her favorite bandit's playful smirk.

"How d'ya get up here, eh?" Genrou asked, raising an eyebrow genuinely curious.

She shrugged, her smile not faltering. It was easy. She still hadn't changed from her training outfit so her movements were more free, all she had to do was climb on top of a pile of boxes and then heave herself to the roof. _"What are you doing here?"_

"Came to look fer ya." He fell back, crossing his arms behind his head as pillow.

"_You don't have to keep checking up on me every minute."_

"Pff! I don't."

"_Yes, you do," _she argued. Genrou rolled his eyes, annoyed. Sakura blew a curl off her face, equally annoyed, as she copied his stance. _"It feels like you don't trust me…"_

"That ain't it an' you know it, Sakura. I just… don't know, I worry aboutcha is all."

"_Why? I'm safe here, with all of you."_

Genrou made a frustrated noise and sat up again, scratching the back of head. "Yer gonna think it's stupid…" He felt her small and warm hand touch his arm. He glanced down at it before looking straight into her face, her eyes like amethysts assuring him she would never think anything he'd say as stupid. And he believed her – he always did. "I, uh," he began hesitantly, "I guess I keep waintin' fer ya to go away… to yer world or whatever you came from…"

She drew back, wide eyed, clearly not expecting that answer. At first, she wondered if he was just playing with her but he wouldn't meet her eyes anymore, and he was blushing. Faintly, but it was undoubtedly a blush.

There was that tug at her heart again. Every time she even thought about her world, considering going back and resuming the same old routine she had been living since she could remember, the ground seemed to crumble under her feet. She felt that leaving here, the world she was in, Konan, would be like abandoning a part of her and leaving Genrou? It would be as if leaving home.

"I toldya it was stupid," he mumbled, mistaking her silence for lack of reaction. She shook her head vehemently.

"_I'm not going anywhere, Genrou,_" she told him. _"I'm staying here until I can, for as long as you want me to… Do you want me here?"_

"Of course! But what if that light that got you here comes an' gets ya?"

"_Well, then you can't let it, don't let it take me." _She smiled softly.

"Ya think I wanna? Just the idea of watchin' ya leave again… I-" Genrou cut himself off with an irked groan. He twisted in place so that he could face Sakura better and cupped each side of her face with his hands, the texture of his calluses rough against her skin smooth as porcelain. "What I toldya that day on the lake, the day I thought you were goin' off, remember? I said I would find ya no matter what. I meant it, really I did."

Sakura wiggled one hand between their bodies, they were so close. She put it against his chest, where she could feel every frantic beating of his heart underneath her fingers. _"Why? Why would you go after me?" _She had to ask him, she needed to understand.

"I don't know… ever since I met ya, I feel like I don't know nothin' at all… What is it about you? Every time yer near me I can't breathe right an' it hurts but it's a good pain y'know. An' sometimes I feel like… like yer the only thing keepin' me alive, and if I lose ya there ain't gonna be anythin' else left that's worth livin' fer… I don't get it-"

Sakura silenced him, bringing her fingers to his lips. _"I don't understand it either, but I feel the same. All I want is to stay by your side."_

"It's good t' know I ain't the only one." He chuckled softly, she copied him, and even though no sound came out, Genrou could still imagine what it would be like. It would be like her – sweet and kind, caring, wonderful. It would be like the wind she controlled, a warm summer breeze.

When a stubborn curl slipped from her braid, he pushed it behind her hear but never pulled back his hand, cupping her cheek, stroking her gingerly. His eyes fell on her lips and he couldn't help noticing how pink and delicious they looked, how absolutely inviting. He felt like a moth attracted to the flame, wishing to lose himself in them and burn in the fire she had always started inside of him.

She saw him suddenly lean forward and Sakura forgot how to breathe. As he inched closer, her heart thumped louder and her hands quivered. Their noses touched and they both closed their eyes.

He was so close… Sakura felt inebriated by his perfume of firewood, soap and something else she couldn't place but she knew that it was his. The musky scent was so familiar and yet it still made her shiver. And he was hot, his body expelling the most amazing heat, drawing her to him nearly subconsciously, involuntarily. She had been waiting for so long for this moment, when he would finally understand what he felt for her, she had dreamt about it.

But then a crow flew out of a tree like a bullet towards them, bursting between them, separating them and not hurting Genrou in the face by a lucky shot. They both stumbled away from each other with the startle.

Genrou stared at her with eyes wide with fear. He was horrified at what he had been about to do, she could see it. Sakura reached for his hand, trying to tell him it was okay, that she wanted to kiss him and that there was nothing wrong about it, but he jolted back from her as if electrified.

"_Genrou…_" She tried to call after him. He ignored her. He shook his head and jumped off the roof the fastest he could, leaving her alone.

Sakura swallowed down a scream. Why did she ask him that? Why? She had ruined everything they had somehow managed to build after all this time. Genrou had a hard time with women and she still had expected… he would never see her like that or act on it for that matter.

She felt tears begin to pool in her eyes and, for the first time in a long while, she let them drop. She cried and poured out all of her frustration, all of her anger, all of her cursed and impossible love.

* * *

><p>In Kutou, the night wasn't as pleasant. The midnight blue sky was forming dark clouds, threatening to shield the full moon, showing the first signs of a storm about to arrive. The wind was chilly, it drove the villagers into the safety of their little homes and the comfort of their families.<p>

In the emperor's castle there was no such sense of safety, nor comfort. Tamahome was restless. He was since he'd left Miaka's side, of course, but it was worse that night. He kept replaying Yui's words, her confession, in his mind over and over again, partially because he didn't want to believe it but also because now he understood Yui, now the pieces fit.

She was acting so awfully with Miaka because she was jealous and she wanted him for herself. That's why he had been the one they wanted to hold hostage. Maybe that Naraku guy was manipulating her by using her feelings, promising her that she could have whatever she wanted if she sided with him.

If the Kutou warriors summoned Seiryuu…

"Miaka…" He glanced up at the sky as he stood by the window, searching the stars as if they could answer him. His heart ached with being apart from Miaka, what would he do if he could never see her once more? Not to be able to hold her, to touch or kiss her… the mere thought was impossible to bear. "Oh Miaka, where are you?" He asked in a whisper. "Please, hurry up and find the others. I can't wait to be with you again…"

* * *

><p>A few days later, the break was over and the warriors and the priestess of Suzaku resumed their journey.<p>

Things between Sakura and Genrou seemed to have spiraled down since that night on the rooftop and they still wouldn't talk to each other. Well, actually it was Genrou who wouldn't talk to her. He was avoiding her like the plague, heading either ten feet ahead of her or trailing far behind, not even daring to look her straight in the eye – or at all for that matter.

She glared hard at the orange haired bandit's back as they reached an adorable little village, knowing fairly well he was aware of her stare by the way he kept his shoulders stiff and rect. Sakura puffed air out of her cheeks, she was beginning to feel more annoyed than worried. He was acting like a child and it was silly; silly and absolutely exasperating.

"It's Tamahome's village!" Miaka joyful call brought her attention back. She gave her sister a questioning look and she further explained, "this is where we found Chichiri, and I got to meet Tamahome's family too. His little brothers and sisters… his sick _otou-san_... Oh that's right! Mitsukake, come with me hurry!"

Miaka gripped his hand and ran down the hill towards the village. The others rolled their eyes, following after them nonetheless.

Even though the sun was high and it would soon be noon, there were still several farmers working on their fields, their sun kissed skin dripping with sweat of hard labor. Some women walked by the group carrying baskets of clothes over their heads, making way for the nearby stream to wash them clean. They were nice and they smiled welcomingly, beckoning their children to trail after them, though some insisted on staying behind to play on the streets with each other.

The children didn't seem scared or intimidated by the warriors. They approached them and danced around Sakura to play with her dress's skirt. Sakura laughed and twirled with them, accepting the hands those girls and boys stretched out for her with a genuine heart-warming happiness.

She had always loved children, they made her fuzzy and bubbly on the inside. There was not a single drop of evil running through their blood, they were pure honesty and love. They were all that was good in the world, at least while that goodness wasn't taken away from them by life itself.

"You're so pretty, _onee-chan_!"

"Come play with us, _onee-chan_!"

"_Ne onee-chan_, will you come and watch my new spintop?"

Genrou admired as the little kids followed Sakura's every step. With the hint of a smile, he couldn't help to think he should've guessed. Of course she was the type of girl who children would love. It didn't come as any sort of surprise because, after all, Sakura had a... certain aura around her, a special motherly quality. And, much to his amazement, particularly because he wasn't one to care for that, he found it very endearing and very… attractive.

He frowned with that last thought.

"They seem very fond of you, don't they Sakura-chan?" Hotohori asked with a delighted smile, him too noticing her knack for children. Her cheeks flushed pink. She beamed up at the beautiful emperor.

Genrou boiled with jealousy, fuming on the inside. He should be the only one who could make her blush like that.

_"I love kids,"_ Sakura confessed.

"I can see that as well. I'm certain you will make a great mother someday. Do you want children?" Sakura nodded eagerly and held out her hand opened. The emperor chuckled, easily understanding her. "Five? Well, I ought to admire you. Not everyone is brave enough to rise five kids."

"Oh I think that whoever marries you is going to be a very, very lucky man, _ne_ Sa-chan?" Nuriko dropped his arm around her thin shoulders, bringing her closer to him and grinning from ear to ear. When Sakura's eyes moved discreetly towards Genrou's sulking form, his smirk became even bigger.

They were hurriedly lead into a small, one of the smallest, house by a worried Miaka. She was pulling a young boy, whose blue hair was tied in a knot on top of his head, who looked a little frightened by her loud and enthusiastic demeanor.

Miaka introduced him as Chuei, Tamahome's younger brother. He was a lovely boy and Sakura was impressed by how responsible he was, especially at such a young age. His siblings loved him to death, she could tell right away after meeting them, and all of them were absolutely adorable, they would become great people under Chuei's dedicated care.

Mitsukake acted quickly. He healed their ill father, but the power had put a strain on his body, draining him of energy. He dropped his heavy figure on a chair, reclining back, breathing in and out in tired gulfs. Sakura went to get him a glass of water.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Mitsukake accepted the glass from her gentle hands. Taking a long sip, he faced his friends, "I'm sorry but I'm too weak to continue."

"Perhaps we could spend tonight here, if it wouldn't be a problem…?" Hotohori asked Tamahome's father.

"Of course. It's no problem at all. After everything you've done for me and my family it's only fair we repay the favor. Please make yourselves at home."

When the sun set, Nuriko and Sakura offered to help Chuei with dinner. Chuei accepted the offer, but he timidly, and blushing, asked if Sakura could simply stay with the others and take care of his little siblings because he didn't want her to worry about trivial domestic affairs. She tried to argue, but he was stubborn, so she ended up in the living-room with everyone else.

They sat down on the table and talked quietly amongst them. Genrou kept a close watch on Sakura as she played with the kids. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor and Gyokuran and Yuiren enjoyed themselves by combing through her hair and braiding it.

"_Ne_, _onee-chan_, are you going to be Chuei-_onii-chan_'s bride?" Yuiren asked innocently, staring up at her with wide grey eyes.

Everyone stared at Genrou when he suddenly spat the water he had just drunk. Nuriko chuckled, shaking his head and sharing an amused look with an amused Sakura, who decided to give the little sweet girl no answer but her smile.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Sakura and Miaka were brushing their teeth together. They ended up on a water battle, splashing each other with water playfully, then hitting Nuriko in the face by mistake when he came into the room. He gave them an earful, but they tuned him off after the first five seconds and attacked him instead.<p>

Sakura was still laughing from Nuriko's exaggeratedly girly squeals when she went to tuck in the little kids so that their father could have some more rest. Chuei didn't want to be tucked in because he was a big boy. She grinned, endeared, and gave him a soft kiss on his red cheek.

Making her way back to a spare room, she met Genrou on the hallway. They met halfway and they stopped in front of each other, yet both were scared to look up and face the other's face. Every time she earned a bit of courage and tried to raise her head, the memory of what had happened that night popped up and she let it slip away, feeling embarrassment built up inside of her.

Sakura hated acting like this, like a silly girl. And he wasn't better because he too was beginning to get frustrated with himself for not having the guts to talk it over.

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh," he cleared his dry throat, "so... I think the kid's got a crush on ya…" he ended up saying. He inwardly hit his forehead; why would he say that?

She gingerly shook her head, blushing. _"He's just smitten, that's all..."_

"Yeah well… guess I can't blame him, right?" He gave a dry chuckle, a sound that clutched at Sakura's heart. She waited for him to say something else but as the silence dragged on she finally had enough of feeling like an idiot, and made a mention to go around him for the room she'd be sleeping in. A rough hand was suddenly on her elbow, bringing her back to him. He trapped her against the wall with his larger body, and he was once more so close that her whole skin caught fire, his fire. She gasped, finally looking up into his conflicted eyes as they pinned her down with their smoldering gold and feelings swarming inside. "What happened that other night, I… I don't know… We're not right any more, are we? Somethin' changed, you feel it too?"

Sakura bit her lip but she nodded affirmatively. _"What is it, Genrou?"_

"I don't know," he whispered, his gaze dropping to the pink flesh caught between her teeth. Her breath hitched as he pressed further against her, the hand he had on her elbow sliding to her hand to intertwine their fingers while he brought the other to the crook of her neck, tilting her head more towards his. Sakura gripped the front of his shirt. His gaze darkened and he dived for her lips, almost reaching them. "Sakura…"

The slamming of a door startled them again, and they both jumped back. This time, Sakura was the one running away. She shook her head and ran for the bedroom, wishing nothing more but to stay buried under the covers and never come out again, not even for air, not in this lifetime.

Genrou growled, punching the wall next to him angrily. He was an idiot! Why did he keep doing stuff that could permanently damage the amazing relationship he and Sakura had? He loved that she was the only girl who could make him feel completely comfortable. He loved that he could tell her anything because she listened – she _really_ listened. He loved that she was so simple, so gentle and sweet, different from the other girls he had met who had been loud, demanding. He loved that she was stubborn and headstrong, and she had easily caught some of his habits and traits. He loved her beautiful eyes, her angelical face, her long satin hair. He loved each delicate, subtle curve of her petite body. He loved…

_Enough, stop!_ His mind screamed at him. He cursed, cutting off his own line of thought before it could go any further. He wouldn't go there, he couldn't.

Still fuming, Genrou went to sleep to the room he would be sharing with Mitsukake and Hotohori. He had no idea why Nuriko was sleeping with the girls when he was a man too, but right now he wasn't about to go over there and drag his butt back to where he was supposed to be.

He wouldn't fall asleep though.

Hotohori, who was laid down by his side, sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose when the bandit shifted positions with a grunt for the hundredth time. His restlessness and impatience was making it very much impossible for him to get any rest, and he was certain Mitsukake was only sleeping because he had no energy left.

"Tasuki, is there something troubling you?" He asked after another grunt.

Genrou jumped, startled. He didn't think anyone was awake. "Whatcha mean? I'm fine. 'Am not sleepy, is all."

"That's not true. You haven't stopped tossing and turning since you came in, and you keep mumbling to yourself like a lunatic."

"I ain't no lunatic," he muttered. He frowned when he realized he was mumbling to himself. "Sorry. Didn't know I was botherin' ya."

"It's fine, really. I was just wandering if you would want to talk about what's troubling you," Hotohori offered politely, positioning himself so that he was facing him.

Genrou was silent for a moment but he eventually sighed in defeat. He rubbed his face, tired yet not sleepy at all.

"It's nothin' important. Go back t' sleep."

But Hotohori wasn't one to give up easily. "You know… I've noticed you have been avoiding Sakura-san lately. Has anything happened between you two?"

"Nothin'! Nothin' happened, why would have happened anythin'?" Genrou flushed as he stumbled over his own words.

"Ah, I see," he chuckled. "Maybe you should talk to her about it instead of going over it in your head."

"It's more complicated than that… Sakura's real confusing…"

Hotohori shrugged. "Aren't all women? They feel one thing but they do and say other entirely different. We can never be certain of what to do because we are always in danger of doing the wrong thing."

"Sakura's different, she ain't all that complicated… but I think this time I did somethin' I shouldn't…"

Sensing he wasn't in the mood to elaborate, Hotohori decided to put an end to that conversation. "Well, whatever it is, don't worry, Tasuki, Sakura-san isn't one to stay mad. She'll smile even if she doesn't feel like it. It's one of the many things that make her so endearing, isn't it?"

Genrou's cheeks blushed scarlet and he promptly hid them in his pillow. "Like I know! 'Am gonna sleep now. G'night, Hotohori."

The emperor chuckled silently and let the bandit to his thoughts and worries. The sun would be up in less than a few hours. He needed a good night of sleep if he wanted to stay so divinely beautiful.

* * *

><p>The sound of a flute startled Sakura awake at the break of dawn. It reached ears as the wind carried it through a crack on the window. It was such a beautiful melody, filled with love but also so much sadness and heartache, as if the musician played for something he couldn't have, couldn't grasp.<p>

Sakura jolted up and reached for her robe, tip-toeing to her sister's futon. She shook Miaka's shoulders. She kept shaking when she didn't answer, and she only stopped once she finally lifted her head to fix her with sleep clouded eyes.

"_Imotto-chan_? What is it?" Miaka yawned loudly.

_"Can you hear that flute playing?"_

The priestess blinked twice as she tried to focus on her sister's gestures. "Huh? No, I don't hear any flu... oh wait!" She leaned her up, catching a sign of the melody. "Yeah, yeah I hear it! What do you think it is?"

_"I don't know. Should we get Nuriko and take a look?"_

Both girls glanced at Nuriko's passed out form, spread across the bed, sheets and covers tangled around his waist, long purple tresses scattered everywhere. He had shoved off the pillow and he was using his right arm as a substitute and Sakura couldn't stop a smile because he was going to have a red spot on is cheek when he woke up.

"Nah, we can do it on our own. _Imotto-chan _protects me if anything goes wrong, right?" Miaka got up, slipped on her shoes and they left the room.

In all honesty Sakura wasn't quite so sure that she could take care of Miaka if any attacker lunged at them from behind a tree out of a sudden. Her fighting skills were better but she barely even knew how to use her powers. The last time she had used them was in Mount Leikaku and she had no idea how she'd done it because she had blacked out with the panic, it had been in the spur of the moment. The only thing she remembered clearly was feeling light and warm, very warm, and the safety of Genrou's protective arms around her.

It was still dark outside. She could barely see the outlines of what was in front of her, or under her feet for that matter. The moon was covered by clouds and it would only show up through a few openings. In one of those moments, the light fell over the tree closest to the front door and Sakura spotted the several dark figures hanging down from the branches. The tree was brimming with bats.

Sakura flinched. She hated bats.

As if in tune with her thoughts, the bats opened their eyes, beady red orbits staring at them, and suddenly came charging towards Miaka. She screamed for help as the bats slapped her with the wings, clawing at her hair, back and shoulders. Sakura acted on instinct; she lifted her hand and prayed in her head that something, anything!, helped her out. The character on her arm glowed and the wind heard her. A strong gust of air blew the little monsters away from Miaka, but a lot more took their place just as fast and as mercilessly.

Miaka was scared for her sister and for Tamahome's family more than herself so she ran into the forest to get away from them. Sakura moved to go after her but Genrou and Hotohori stormed out of the house telling her to stay where she was, that they would deal with it.

_Yeah, right!_ She rolled her eyes before the stupidity of them. There was absolutely no way she was staying behind when her friends went and risked their lives for her sister's wellbeing. After all, she was a celestial warrior too.

Sakura found them on a clearing. They were down on their knees on the ground as the same swarm of bats flocked over them as if intending to eat them alive. She was about to do something but, before she could make a move, something fell off a tree behind her with a really heavy thud. Sakura slowly turned around, her eyes wide with fear, coming face to face with a rugged, tall and extremely built man wearing a black cape, like a crow – or a bat.

"Well look at what we have here! Who would've thought the Suzaku warriors had such a beautiful lady with them?" The man taunted as he hungrily stared down at Sakura. She moved to run but he was quicker. His large hand grabbed her neck, lifting her off the ground, bringing her to his height and closer to his ugly face.

Genrou squinted to try and see through the wings flapping across his face. When he did, he went pale as a sheet. First he felt the panic rise, but then came the familiar wrath, his blood boiling with a murderous fury.

"Get away from her, ye damn bastard! Let go of her right now! I'm gonna rip yer throat open like a freakin' chicken!" He snarled, his mind going bloody red.

The assassin cackled menacingly. "I see I hit the jackpot with this one, eh? The bandit's woman... you gotta be real good then." He leaned into Sakura, nearly touching her lips as she breathed out a silent choke. His hold was too tight; she almost couldn't breathe anything. "Let's see if I can make yer whore moan louder than you, eh bandit?"

Genrou growled like a mad animal. He ignored the pain that shot through his entire body and he rose to his feet, his shoulders shaking violently as he clenched his hands into fists so tightly that the veins of his arms began to pop out. He would die before he'd let any man touch her like the last time.

Someone started playing the flute again. It's pitch had a strange effect of the bats, they flew away from Miaka and the warriors and went flying straight into the trees. The man dropped the hold on Sakura and they both fell down. He was dead.

She grabbed her neck, coughing hard, sucking in large gulfs of air, as many as she could.

"Sakura!"

Genrou was beside her in an instant. He pried her hands away so he could inspect the damage with his own eyes. _Damn it!_ Her skin was bruised, she was showing purple marks of the man's fingers. He gritted his teeth; he should've done something, he should've stopped him before he even considered the thought of touching her. Sakura shouldn't have gotten hurt.

A shadow fell over them as someone approached the group. Sakura looked up. She was met with the hypnotizing grey eyes of a young boy, he should be around her age. He stared at her with genuine worry as he offered his hand.

"Are you alright?" He asked, but Sakura gave him no answer. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, he sounded so familiar, and he was so... _beautiful_. The boy smiled when she finally gathered enough strength to nod and, she noticed, it was a truly breathtaking smile. "I tried to play the fastest I could to save you. I'm glad he didn't do anything."

_"You saved me?"_

"Yes, I did."

He didn't seem surprised that she couldn't speak but Sakura didn't think anything of it. Genrou, however, grew suspicious. He didn't like this boy.

"Who are ya boy?" He asked hastily.

He was about to answer when he suddenly fell backwards. Miaka caught him just in time before he hit the ground. She used her leg to support his back and keep him more or less sat up right.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Miaka fawned over him, concerned, until something caught her attention – a red character marring the skin of his abdomen. She faced him with wide eyes. She could hardly believe their luck. "You're a celestial warrior of Suzaku!"

"My name is Chiriko. I lived in a nearby village, but those guys from Kutou attacked us..." He trailed off.

"Are you the only survivor?" Chiriko nodded sadly.

Even though she was sorry for his loss, Sakura was happier because they had found the last of them. She joined her sister and touched her elbow.

_"Now Tamahome can finally come back to you, onee-chan!" _

Miaka was filled with an indescribable happiness and Sakura's heart shared her joy.

Their journey was finally over.

* * *

><p>Please tell me it was worth the wait.<p>

Love, Moon Princess.


	9. The agony of waiting

And I'm back! The 9th Chapter, finally! It took a while but I hope it paid off!

I want to thank all of you who have submitted my fic into your favorite and alert lists. I'm grateful for all of your love and support and I love love love all of the reviews I'm getting - so please keep going! :D

Love, Moon Princess.

* * *

><p><span>Disclaimer<span>**:** I don't own Fushigi Yuugi or any characters, not even Tasuki. I do, however, own my OC - Sakura.

* * *

><p><strong>Fushigi Yuugi: "How I fell in love with your silence"<strong>

Tasuki/Genrou x OC

ooo

_"The World Is All Gates, All Opportunities, Strings Of Tension_

_Waiting To Be Struck."_

- Ralph Emerson.

**Chapter 9:**

Morning came fast for the group. They never got back to sleep but time moved by swiftly as they tended to their new companion and tried to get to know him better. Before they knew it, the sun was rising behind the mountains and the little ones were up and running again.

Once Chiriko was semi-patched up, they decided to go back to the palace. Miaka couldn't wait to have Tamahome in her arms after so long.

Miaka and Hotohori and Tamahome's father were exchanging a few words concerning the village's conditions and Tamahome's welfare, they were trying to ignore all the ruckus coming from the rest of the group. The youngest siblings were clinging to Sakura's skirt as they cried and pleaded for her not to go, they wanted her to stay. Chuei didn't want her to leave either but he was doing his job as the oldest, pulling them away from her. He wasn't being very lucky, though.

Smiling despite her exasperation, Sakura crouched down and patted their heads fondly. She wanted to tell them why she couldn't stay more than anything, and she wanted to let them know how much she had loved meeting them and that she would come back to visit. For the first time in a while, she felt the real weight of her disability. They were too young to read her lips and they didn't understand elaborate gestures, her intentions and her feelings just wouldn't get through them so easily.

Yuiren was crying the most. Maybe because she was the youngest, but Gyokuran didn't fall short; she was holding her hand with an iron grip.

"Guys, come on! Let Sakura-sama go!" Chuei tugged harder on Yuiren's dress.

"But we like her so much!" Shunkei whined.

"Why can't she stay here until _onii-chan_ comes back?" Gyokuran glared at him through teary eyes.

"Please, please!" Yuiren threw her small arms around Sakura's neck. She winced a little, her neck was still bruised and sore.

Chiriko's observant eyes quickly caught on to her distress. It was his chance to step higher into her consideration. So he grabbed his flute and brought it to his lips, playing a soft lulling tune to sooth them. Yuiren, Gyokuren and Shunkei swayed as their eyes closed, by the time they fell into Chuei and their father's arms they were already fast asleep.

Genrou slapped the flute away from him. "_Aho_! Are ya crazy?! Ya tryin' ta mess up the kids' brains?!"

Sakura pinched his shoulder and gestured towards their sleeping forms. He sweat dropped but refused to apologize even when she fixed him with a pointed look.

"That song has hypnotic effects. I'm sure they are all having very pleasant dreams right now," Chiriko explained.

Since Genrou was being his usual stubborn self, Sakura gave Chiriko a little bow in a silent thanks. He felt his cheeks instantly catch fire and she found it absolutely adorable. They exchanged timid smiles, completely ignorant of the fuming bandit behind them who wouldn't stop glaring daggers at the couple and wished nothing more than to barge in between them and yank Sakura away from him.

They left the village behind, waving Chuei and Tamahome's father goodbye. Hotohori rode his beautiful white horse with Mitsukake by his side to keep him company. Miaka and Nuriko were right behind them, chatting about something funny, feeling lighter than they had for a long time, no longer pressured by the weight of their urgent mission. Normally Sakura would have joined them but today she walked with Chiriko. She was gesturing vigorously, trying to answer his curious questions.

She liked him. He was surprisingly easy to talk to... and he actually seemed to understand what she told him with very little difficulty. She had just finished telling him she was incredibly clumsy when her foot got caught on a rock and she stumbled forward. Chiriko laughed good-naturedly as he stopped her from falling over and offered her his arm. Sakura blushed but she gladly accepted the offer.

Trailing behind them, coming last, Genrou sulked. There was a strange shady murderous aura coming off his body and the character in his forearm was glowing a dark red, the light burning brighter every time he flexed his muscles. He knew he was starting to lose it and he knew it might've been over the top, but the guy was pissing him off. He had his hands all over her and she didn't seem to mind it – that was even more annoying.

_Mine! Mine!_ The word kept popping up in his head. He had always been a little possessive, greedy even. Of his stuff of course, not of people. Sakura wasn't a thing, she wasn't an object he owned, she had feelings, she was alive and she most definitely had a will of her own, a strong will at that. But her feelings were for him, weren't they? She had told him she felt the change in their relation too, he thought it meant she felt for him.

Then why was she pretending like he didn't exist and was showing so much interest in another guy?

Genrou was wrong, though. Sakura wasn't pretending like he didn't exist, she was simply avoiding him. She was perfectly aware of his disconcerting attention, burning wholes on her back in a way she could almost feel it. She knew he was angry and he was fuming on the inside – she knew him. It was just too hard to face him, she was embarrassed for running off on him. Chiriko was sweet and kind, it was easier for her to use him as an excuse to stay busy and not think about how much she wanted to go back to that night and cross the last few inches separating their lips.

* * *

><p>The sun was about to set when they reached the imperial palace. As soon as they crossed the main gates, something came at them like a bullet. Chichiri was grinning from ear to ear, happy to meet his friends, delighted to finally show his true appearance after being cooped up as the emperor.<p>

"I'm so happy you're finally here, _no da_!" Chichiri picked up Miaka's hands in his and bounced up and down like a little kid.

"Ahhh we missed you, Chichiri!" She told him just as excited.

"What is that?!" Genrou made a face, pointing an accusing finger at the monk.

Nuriko smiled. "_That_ is Chichiri, one of us celestial warriors."

Sakura stared at the monk's face hard. He looked like he was smiling but it didn't seem genuine, it wasn't natural. His whole expression was frozen and unmoving – fake. _Why would he be wearing a mask?_ Sakura was curious, though she wouldn't pry. She kept that curiosity and those questions to herself for the time being.

He met her eyes, seeing her for the first time and his whole chest brimmed with warmth when she promptly flashed him a beautiful smile.

"This is Sakura," Miaka mentioned for her sister to step closer to the two of them. "She's my baby sister. _Imotto-chan_, this is Chichiri."

Chichiri smiled behind his mask. "Nice to meet you, _ojou-sama_ _no da_."

_"Nice to meet you too, Chichiri-san_." Sakura gave him another smile and small wave. She was expecting his surprise already.

"You can't speak, _no da_?"

Genrou grunted in annoyance. "Bah, this is gettin' old real fast! No, she can't talk, aigh't? Now leave 'er alone."

"Tasuki!" Miaka scolded with a frown.

"What?"

Sakura shook her head. _"Don't be rude, Genrou."_

He humph'd but he felt his lips tug upwards at the face she was making him. His traitorous heart just had to find her extremely adorable. She blushed under his gaze. It gave him hope that it wasn't all lost, she wasn't indifferent to him after all.

"Oh, where's Hotohori?" Mitsukake glanced around looking for his friend.

"Now ya mention it, I ain't seen 'im in a while," Genrou pointed out, looking away from Sakura, yet instinctively moving closer to her.

Nuriko rolled his eyes. "You guys still haven't figured it out? That guy is..."

"That's quite enough, Nuriko." Hotohori voice came from above them. When they turned around, they found him in all of his mighty, dressed in the finest imperial robes.

The boys dropped their jaws open. Sakura chuckled at their faces. She had known it all along, Nuriko and Miaka had already told her.

"I'm glad you arrived safe,_ hekka_, _no da_!"

* * *

><p>During dinner, they all sat down to discuss their next move.<p>

They agreed it was a priority to contact Tamahome without Nakago finding out and then they needed to figure out a way to bring him back safely. They would also need to take the scroll of the _Universe of the Four Gods_ back as it possessed all the information necessary to summon Suzaku.

"I'll get it," Miaka said, getting everyone's attention. "I will go to Kutou and get Tamahome, then I'll find a way to bring the sacred scroll back!"

"Miaka, what are you saying?" The emperor regarded her worriedly. It was too dangerous.

"It was my fault the _Universe of the Four Gods_ was taken in the first place, so it's only fair I should be the one getting it back!"

Hotohori shook his head. "But-"

"I'll go with her, _no da_," Chichiri cut off the emperor. "However, I insist we take some time and set it up with Tamahome before we do anything, _no da_."

"You mean I can talk to Tamahome, right now...?!" Miaka's eyes gleamed like gems. She had been apart from him for so long, more than enough. She wished for nothing more but to hear his voice, she wanted to feel his arms around her and bask in his warmth.

Chichiri went on explaining to Miaka and the others what he had in mind and after that, she was out of the room before any on them had a chance to blink. Everyone else took their leave as well. They were exhausted from travelling and long overdue for a good rest. Hotohori showed Sakura to her room. It was fairly close to her sister's and next to Genrou's, a choice he kept telling her hadn't been intentional yet she hardly believed it as she could see a sly twinkle in his golden eyes.

The room was bigger than her entire house, wide like a saloon. She admired the modest shade of pearl on the walls and how it balanced the darker tones of the furniture and the floor, both carved of _zitan_ **(1)**. There was a wide bed against the wall, it had a thin canopy curtain with a lovely golden embroidery creating intricate Chinese patterns, matching the light covers made of the finest silk and the fluffy pillows. The armoire was right next to it and the size of it was impressive and intimidating, at least for a small girl like Sakura. The emperor promptly informed her that it was already packed with clothes for her, traditional wear and shoes.

Her face lit up, her mind running with all the possibilities of a wardrobe full of dresses that she couldn't wait to try out. Hotohori chuckled; he had thought she would like that. Sakura loved clothes.

Before leaving the room, he told her to get cleaned up in the royal washroom and then have fun picking out something to wear. Sakura had all the intentions of doing exactly that.

The royal washroom was… a paradise – it was divine. Sakura had never minded for luxury, partially because she was from an average class family and they couldn't afford peddling expenses, but she was forced to admit, if she could, she'd easily get used to it. The pool was enormous, although she could only make use of less than a third because any further than that and she lost her feet. The water was warm, filling the room with steam, moist clouds that tickled her skin as she soaked in it, taking her sweet time in rinsing her hair. She used the little scented vials brought to her by some servant girls, loving the soft flowery fragrance left embed in her locks.

Feeling thoroughly relaxed afterwards, every muscle and every fiber of her body buzzing with contempt, Sakura plunged into her brand new closet.

_Holly Suzaku and his warriors!_ Opening those doors was like being hit by a whirlwind of colors and fabrics and glitters and lace, it took her breath away, it made her dizzy – a good dizzy, though. She ran a hand over the countless _hanfu_, traditional Chinese dresses. There were so much to choose from, she wasn't quite sure where to start with.

In the end, she settled for a simple piece. The skirt came down to cover her feet, it was of an eye-catching shade of teal, decorated with tiny orange flowers and periwinkle birds. The upper half of the garment was white and it was kept under the skirt by a sash around her waist, accentuating her petite figure. She pulled her damp hair up, keeping it in place by the _kanzashi _Genrou had given her, and then decided to check on her sister.

Miaka was just finishing up her makeup, putting on a little lipstick, when she heard her come in. She had done her hair as well, half of it braided and tied by a cute orange bow, and she was wearing a fitting blue jacket-and-skirt set.

It seemed like Miaka was all dolled up for her meeting with Tamahome, Sakura noticed with a giggle.

"So, how do I look, _imotto-chan_? Good?" She asked, giving a little spin. Sakura nodded vehemently, beaming approvingly.

Her answer satisfied her well enough. Miaka planted a loud kiss on her sister's cheek and, after one last glance in the mirror, she ran out, hurrying back to the throne room. Tamahome was waiting.

Sakura sat down on the bed with a sigh as looked around. What could there be in a palace for her to do? She would love nothing more than to go looking for Nuriko, he was the funniest to hang out with, but he was probably resting. Actually they would most likely all be. As she was left alone, Sakura decided to do some exploring.

First she paid the kitchens a visit. She was stunned when everyone welcomed her warmly, smiling, eager to prepare the most exquisite specialties for her to taste. They were so nice that she nearly felt bad for declining, but she was still full from dinner. If she ate anything else she was afraid she would blow up. She left, promising the next time she would definitely take them up on the offer.

Then she sneaked a peek into one of the imperial office rooms when she heard Hotohori's voice. He seemed to be working on some important matters concerning the empire with his group of counselors so she turned away, not to bother him. Hotohori spotted her though and he invited her to join them. The counselors said nothing, they simply regarded her curiously as the emperor told her about the current situation in Konan. He told her how the Kutou armies kept pillaging their villages and he didn't know what else he could do to stop the attacks. He asked for her opinion on possible solutions and military strategies, but her knowledge was short when it came to that sort of subjects. The little she had caught on had been from hearing Genrou and Koji go over their plans to get their hands on the _Tessen_ and kick Eikens out of the way.

Sakura went to see Chichiri next, worried about Miaka. When she found him, she asked him if everything was alright. He flashed her a reassuring smile and waved off her concern. Miaka was just about perfect, he said, he could hear the lovers' lovey-dovey conversation and there was nothing out of the ordinary, no reason to fuss.

It was frustrating and very much exasperating not having anything to do, especially when she had grown used to being on the road. Even if she too was exhausted, Sakura was also restless. Maybe it had something to do with her and Genrou's fallout… well, it definitely had. Whenever they were like this, when she would go without him for this long, she grew restless and she felt lost.

She stopped near the banister, touching the pillar while staring off into the imperial gardens with a sigh. A small path of stones caught her attention. It lead into the woods and it sparked her curiosity, so she jumped over the railing and trailed into it.

Who knew? Maybe it would take her some place where she could find some peace.

* * *

><p>The miserable cries of the Priestess of Seiryuu echoed through the golden walls of Kutou's palace. Her heart was breaking, shattering into pieces that slipped right through her fingers and there was nothing she could do patch them back together. An unbearable pain filled every fiber of her body, it drowned her soul.<p>

Yui lurched her arms around Nakago when she reached him in the hall. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her frail quivering form as she sobbed uncontrollably on his armored chest.

"What happened, Yui-_sama_?" Nakago inquired gently, holding her close.

"Tamahome…" She sobbed, "Tamahome is leaving! I don't want him too! I don't want her to have him! I don't want Miaka to have him…!"

His hold tightened. "Fear not, Yui-_sama._ I'm here to help you, am I not?" Nakago pushed Yui away just enough to keep her within arms' length and then dropped something in her smaller hand. There was an evil glint in his extraordinary blue eyes, a wickedness that easily passed by unnoticed by Yui. "If you wish for Tamahome to be yours then use this… if you want him to be forever yours, use it."

_Dark magic_. Yui knew what it was, what it could only be. She was aware of what sort of powers Nakago had in his amidst, she'd seen it firsthand. Yet, he was also her most loyal and trustful warrior, her closest friend, the only person she could thrust at the moment. He had always been right and he had always done everything for the good of her wellbeing.

She straightened herself and cleaned her tears. She was willing to do anything to keep Tamahome – anything.

* * *

><p>The path lead Sakura further into the woods than she was expecting. It was too dark because the trees were clustered too tightly and too silent as well, so she was more than a little jumpy after a few minutes. However, just as she was about to turn back, regretting her impulsive decision, cursing at her curiosity, the rocks stopped in front of a beautiful gazebo.<p>

The structure rose over a pond, the yellow gold of the detailed designs on the roof reflecting the moonlight now high in the sky, opposing the silver hues it casted upon the water. The _Kousa _Dogwood trees had blossomed and they encircled the gazebo in a white cloak of lovely flowers. The weather was perfect, warm and comforting, attracting small groups of fireflies that floated around like countless stars.

She stepped into the gazebo and wandered to the opposite railing. As she took a long breath intake, Sakura had to smile. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place. Could Hotohori have had it built himself? Or had it been there since long before his ruling?

"Guess great minds t'ink alike, uh?" The voice startled her and she spun around abruptly, bringing one hand to her racy heart. She flushed; Genrou had followed her into the gazebo, he was leaning against the entry pillar, arms casually crossed in front of his chest. Even in the dark, he easily noticed her blush. "Ain't tired yet? Thought you'd pass out once yer head hit the bed."

Sakura ignored the speed of her pulse and gathered her hands to keep them still. _"I am tired but I don't know, I just can't seem to turn off my head. I feel…"_

"Restless?" He finished after she trailed off. Sakura nodded, half surprised, amusing him. "Yeah, I figured."

_"How so?"_

"'Cause it's the way I'm feelin' too," he answered honestly. Genrou pushed himself off the pillar and took a few hesitant steps towards her, watching her intently with smoldering eyes that stole her breath away. When he got closer, Sakura moved back until her hips hit the railing and she had nowhere else to go, but he didn't pressure her, halting his actions almost immediately with a frown. "Why are ya doin' that? Why you keep runnin' away from me? You were never scared o' me. I know I'm an insensible brute but-"

Sakura darted forward, cutting him off with her hand. Every muscle in her entire body throbbed, aching to be near him, to touch him, feel him against them, and she was nervous, so nervous, but still, she forced herself to stay right where she was – merely inches away from him.

_"I could never be scared of you, Genrou. That's not even an option, not for me, not ever, and who told you that you were an insensible brute?"_ Genrou mumbled something against her mouth but it was muffled and all she got was "Nuriko said". She chuckled, shaking her head. _"Nuriko is loud-mouthed guy, you know that already, besides he just says that stuff because he knows it gets to you."_

He gently grabbed her hand, freeing his mouth, and he intertwined their fingers, letting their hands fall beside them. "But it's still true. I can't do anythin' right and I keep messin' things up with ya."

_"Genrou…-"_

"No, Sakura, let me do this, a'ight? I gotta get this off my chest once an' fer all." He shifted but didn't move away. "You… you are more blisterin' than this summer and yer full of light, this wonderful immense glow that blinds me. When I'm with you I feel powerful enough t' take on the world alone, and you fill me up… you fill me up so completely, so thoroughly that I'm afraid to blow up! I hate the thought ovya leavin', I hate that ya like hangin' out with the flute guy an' how ya let him touch ya because no other man should ever touch ya without my permission. You make me insane, Sakura, an' y'know what? I love it! I love how easily you pick up on my habits an' you make them yer own. I love how much you grew up since I metcha, you're not that jumpy small girl who came through my door with Koji, you are so so much more…"

He paused to recover his breath. Only then Sakura noticed the tears welling up behind her eyes. She struggled to keep them in, it was silly to cry, there was no reason for her to cry because there he was – the one she wanted, and he was saying exactly the words she never dreamed she would ever hear.

Genrou cupped her face with his free hand, the other one tightening the hold, facing her directly. Sakura wondered if he could see the water swimming inside her eyes. "I still don't understand… fer Suzaku, I don't understand a thing! I never liked women, I never wanted one in my life, but… I don't care anymore. None o' that matters because… because I love you, Sakura, I t'ink a part o' me always has, an' it doesn't matter if it's 'cause o' those damn constellations, I just wanna be with you." He smiled a little when one stubborn tear fell down, he caught it with a finger. "If you'll have me I mean…"

Sakura laughed, nodding excitedly, her heart bursting with happiness. _"I'll have you, of course I'll have you! There's nothing in this world I want more! I love you so much, Gen-!" _

He suddenly crashed his lips with hers, effectively shutting her up. The action startled her so much she even forgot to close her eyes, or make any move for that matter. She simply froze. So Genrou drew back, terrified for her reaction, cursing at himself for not being more gentle and not taking in consideration her inexperience, until she broke into a dazzling grin and kissed him just as impetuously. Her lips were soft, tender, more wonderful than he could ever imagine, and she tasted like cherries or some other sweet fruit he absolutely loved. It burnt him, and he had had to fight not devour her that much he needed her.

The ground seemed to slip from beneath her feet and she swooned, for a moment truly believing she was on cloud nine, walking on air. He was gentle as he moved his mouth over hers caringly, lovingly. He held her in his arms, keeping her close, so close she thought she would melt into him, and she would do so gladly, because she just couldn't get close enough to his scorching form.

Then, when they couldn't breathe anymore, he pulled back. Not too much, enough to touch her forehead with his. They gasped desperately for air, trying to steady their heartbeats, without avail.

He smiled devilishly. "You got no idea fer how long I wanted t' do this," he confessed.

Sakura copied him. _"You don't know how much I've been waiting for you to do it,"_ she replied. She gave him a mock serious look next, and he tilted his head to the side, regarding her curiously. _"But I don't think _the flute guy_ will appreciate it if you corner him against the wall and tell him he can only touch me with your permission."_

Genrou's booming laugh reverberated through the gazebo and across the pond, warming her to the core.

"Don'tcha tempt me, Sakura! Don'tcha tempt me!"

* * *

><p>The next day, they all gathered in the throne room, going over their plans to retrieve both Tamahome and the summoning scroll safely.<p>

"Are you ready?" Hotohori asked Miaka. "Please, do be careful."

Miaka nodded, finishing the bow of her uniform with an extremely concerned Sakura fussing over her, making sure she had everything and if everything was in the right place.

This trip to Kutou was making Sakura particularly nervous. Her sister could be too naive and trustful, especially considering that her judgment was currently clouded by the depth of her feelings. It wasn't just that, though, Miaka was also an easy target, too easy in fact, as she could barely defend herself. If anything were to happen and she was alone… how would she keep herself safe?

_"Are you sure we can't go with you?"_ Sakura directed her question to Chichiri.

"I'm sorry, _ojou-sama_; we should send the fewest possible. If we're too many, there might be a disturbance in the palace's barrier, _no da_, and the enemy might find us."

Genrou watched as Sakura bit down her lower lip with a little too much force. He frowned and turned towards her, bringing their locked hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles before stepping forward.

"I don't care what you say, 'm goin' too. I know this way y'all worry less, and besides I wanna meet this Tamahome fer myself," he said with a smile.

"But-"

"Ohh! Look what I got 'ere!" He cut Miaka off, waving a perfect steamed bun in front of her nose. "It's such a pretty steamed bun! An' I was even thinkin' I'd give ya..."

"Poor boy! Chichiri, let's take him with us!"

"Ah... _wa-wakata wakata_!"

While last minute preparations were being made for their teleportation, Sakura called Genrou's attention. He peered down at her and winked reassuringly. He could tell what was on her mind.

"Ahh stop frettin', Sakura. I promise I'm gonna take care o' Miaka fer ya," he told her.

_"I appreciate that… but what about you? Who is going to take care of _you_?"_ She gripped him stronger, trying to make him see how frightened she was, how wrongly she felt about this mission.

"I'll be fine, don't worry! I can do withoutcha fer a couple hours. I'll be back before ya even miss me." His words, despite full of meaning, did little to ease her concerns. Her stomach was twisted into a thousand knots and she could feel a slight pressure on her chest. She looked away, so he put a finger under her chin and brought her face back towards him and closer. "A'ight, I'll make ya a deal – if I don't get back in one piece, ya can hit me with the staff, real hard too! That okay?"

It was only partially felt, but she gave a chuckle. Sakura nodded, blushing when he kissed the top of her head before joining the other two who would be traveling with him. The two warriors and the priestess stepped into Chichiri's _majical kesa_. It glowed brightly when Chichiri stomped his staff, and soon they vanished with it.

All they had left to do now was wait.

* * *

><p><strong>1<strong>. _zitan _- type of wood which was historically valued in China, particularly during the Ming and Qing periods


End file.
